I'm Yours
by Grantx752
Summary: A journey through the ups and downs of Mellie and Fitz's life after their oldest son dies. [Mellitz!]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I may or may not write another chapter to this. Depends on how many people read it.

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><p>It was late at night and Mellie still hadn't come to bed. Fitz walked through the house, peeking in bedrooms to see if she had decided to sleep in another room. He opened the door to her office, frowning when she saw her sitting down, bare feet on her desk and a bottle of hooch in her hand.<p>

"Mellie." Fitz mumbled, walking toward her and taking the bottle from her hand. She pouted, reaching for it like a child. "It's 2am. You need to put down the bottle and come to bed."

The brunette giggled and stood up, stumbling over to Fitz. "You're drunk, Mellie." He told her, catching her as she fell into his strong arms.

"Am not." Mellie grinned, standing up and running her hand through his dark curly hair. "Fitz." She mumbled, running her hand down his chest. Fitz watched her, curious as to what she had planned.

When her hand wandered further down and slipped into his pants, Fitz took her hand and looked at her. "Mellie." He said sternly. The thought of sex with Mellie made him feel uneasy, unsure. They hadn't slept together since Teddy was conceived, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Fitz. Baby, please." She looked up at him, her eyes practically begging for him. "Tonight, can you please just be mine? You can go back to her in the morning, but tonight I just really want you to be mine." Fitz looked down at Mellie, feeling terrible that she had to beg to have sex with her own husband, that he had made her this way. And looking at her, even in her drunken state, he couldn't help but think about how absolutely breathtaking his wife was.

"I'm yours." He whispered, running his hand down her side. "Tonight, I am yours, Mel." He kissed the top of her head, placing his hand under her chin and tilting her head up toward him. He pressed his lips against hers, softly kissing her. Mellie kissed him back, and almost immediately they melted together and became one. They had always been that way when they were intimate with one another, so connected, so in love.

Mellie wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, one hand trailing up and tangling itself in his curls. The kiss deepened and Fitz ran his hand down Mellie's back, moving his lips down her neck, kissing her skin softly. Mellie let out a soft moan, closing her eyes as she tilted her head slightly to give him more access to her neck. He sucked on her collarbone, smirking once he heard her skin pop and pulled away to admire the dark purple mark that he had just left on her skin. His hand moved back up her back, unzipping her dress and pushing the sleeves off of her shoulders.

God, she was beautiful. He hadn't even gotten her half naked yet and he couldn't help but think of how absolutely beautiful the woman standing in front of him was. He stared at her for a few seconds before the clearing of Mellie's throat pulled him out of his trance. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking at his wife. "I'm just admiring how gorgeous you are."

Mellie chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "You don't have to lie to me, Fitz. You and I both know you don't find me beautiful anymore. You couldn't even get it up when we were trying to get pregnant with Teddy." There was a hint of sadness in her voice and Fitz moved closer to her, cupping her face.

"I was blind, Mellie. I didn't want to think about anything but her and I'm so sorry." He kissed her cheek. "You are beautiful. You are so beautiful. And I mean that." Fitz gently rubbed her back, taking her dress off and watching her step out of it. Even when she had no one to impress, no intentions of being undressed by anyone, her lingerie was still sexy and matching. He loved seeing her in black lace. His hands wrapped around her and unclipped her bra, watching as it slowly fell down her arms and fell to the ground. His mouth watered as he looked at her breasts, and he took her left breast into his hand, thumbing her nipple.

A moan escaped Mellie's lips and she took a deep breath, watching him. Fitz leaned down and took her nipple into his mouth, softly brushing his tongue back and forth. "Oh Fitz." She whispered, almost inaudible. He took that as encouragement and continued for a minute before kissing down her chest and flat stomach, stopping right above her pantyline. Mellie glanced down at him, watching as he removed her panties with his teeth, pulling them down to her ankles. She stepped out of them and Fitz took them, placing them in his pocket when Mellie wasn't looking.

Mellie reached down and pushed his suit jacket off, watching it hit the ground. He took off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it across the room. Mellie smirked as she watched him, and he pushed her up against her desk, gripping the back of her thighs and pulling her closer to him. He looked up at her and she licked her lips, grinning down at him. Fitz winked at her before moving close to her, breathing hot air on her womanhood before leaning in closer and slowly teasing her with his tongue. Immediately her hips jerked and she moaned, reaching down and placing her hand on the back of his head. He slipped a finger inside of her, and she made another noise, which made Fitz groan in pleasure. The sounds she made had always turned him on and there was almost nothing that he loved more than pleasing her.

Fitz moved his finger in and out of her opening, slowly adding a second, and eventually a third. He felt her walls tighten around him and he slowed down, hearing Mellie whimper above him. He smirked as he ran his tongue across her clit, sucking on it softly and gradually moving his fingers quicker. She reached her peak almost instantly and he smiled to himself, letting her ride out her orgasm against his face and hand. He lapped at her juices and smirked as he enjoyed her tangy taste, not wanting to ever get it out of his mouth. He stood up, grinning at her. "You wanna taste yourself, Mel?" He asked and kissed her deeply as Mellie's hands reached down and took off his belt. Fitz let out a sigh of relief, as it was getting painful to keep his pants on. Mellie had him surprisingly hard and he couldn't contain himself much longer. She skillfully took off his pants and his boxers, watching as his manhood sprung to life.

"Turn around." Fitz demanded, not giving her time to act before he spun her around, bending her over her desk. He took his cock into his hand and guided himself inside of her, smirking as he heard her gasp.

"God, Fitz.." She whispered, reaching behind her and gripping his hips, pulling him closer to her. He moved slowly at first before Mellie pleaded for him to move faster. Fitz obliged, grasping her hips and pulling out of her slowly before quickly moving back into her. He continued at this pace and Mellie moaned loudly, biting down on her lip. The sound of their sweaty skin slapping together, as well as moans and groans from the both of them made the experience even more erotic. Her walls began to tighten around Fitz's throbbing member and he pulled out of her, spinning her around once more and picking her up. Mellie wrapped her legs around his waist and Fitz backed her up against the wall, pushing into her once more and thrusting his hips against hers. He moved into her hard and fast, and soon she was reaching her second orgasm, and Fitz was spilling into her, his seed shooting deep into her core.

Mellie let her head fall against Fitz's shoulder as she tried to catch her breath, and Fitz ran his hand through her sweat soaked hair. "Wow, Mels." Fitz whispered, holding her close, his free hand gripping her ample ass tight. God, did he love her ass. He let her heart rate return to normal, enjoying the time that they had like this, where it was as if they hadn't drifted apart in the past 12 years, like they were still so much in love with each other. After a few minutes, he set her down and let her stand, grinning as she struggled to keep her balance.

"Get dressed, baby." Fitz told her, pulling his clothes back on, watching Mellie. "I have to get my drunken wife up to bed and I can't do it if she's naked." He chuckled softly, handing her her clothes. Mellie just grinned, getting dressed, not even noticing that her panties weren't in the pile of clothes that Fitz had handed her. He fixed her hair and walked with her out of the office, his arm snaked around her waist. It was sad that it took an encounter with his drunken wife to make his realize it, but he truly missed her, what they had. And he was going to try and fix it, no matter how broken it may be.


	2. Chapter 2

He'd stopped talking to Olivia. He knew that wouldn't immediately improve things, but he had cut his ties with her, in attempt to get his wife back. He knew now the reasons why his wife had pushed him away, not only giving him another excuse to hold a deep hatred toward his father, but also making him feel terrible for not noticing sooner. How could he not have noticed that his wife was raped? Looking back, it was obvious. The way her actions had changed so abruptly, the way her attitude toward Big Jerry had changed. He was stupid to have not known. And everytime he brought this up to Mellie, she would just shrug and tell him that it was fine, and that the past was the past.

It was early one morning, and they were lying in bed, Mellie asleep, and Fitz awake, watching as his beautiful wife slept. She was so peaceful when she was asleep, much like an angel. He loved to watch her sleep, even though Mellie found it awfully 'stalker-ish'. He chuckled to himself as he thought about what she would say to him if she knew he was watching her sleep. Fitz stared at her, his hand running through her hair. He was almost so indulged in the beautiful woman in front of him that he didn't hear the bedroom door open, and he nearly didn't notice the little boy on the side of the bed, trying to climb up and lie with his parents. "Dada. Up." Teddy demanded, putting his arms up toward Fitz.

"Come here, little man." He grinned as he picked up the toddler, pulling him into his lap. Since Mellie and Fitz had stopped glaring at each other and spitting profanities at one another every time they passed one another in the hallway, they had both been spending much more time with Teddy, together, and Teddy was absolutely ecstatic about that. He was becoming closer to his parents, and he loved it. Part of the reason being that Mellie felt guilty for not being there for Jerry as much as she should have, but this was unbeknown to Teddy. He didn't have to know that. With only one son left, she knew that she had to spend more time with Teddy, love him more than she had failed to love Jerry. She may not have the mother gene, but she damn well had to try to pretend.

It had been nearly two weeks since their experience in Mellie's office, and even though their relationship was improving, there were still a lot of bumps that needed to be repaired. Of course, there was always the worry in the back of Mellie's mind that Fitz would return to Olivia. In the 10 months after Teddy was born, they'd barely spoken, but at least he hadn't spoken to Olivia. This time, she hoped, would be different. This time, Fitz was attempting to improve things with her, trying to fix their marriage. For once, it wasn't her just trying to do everything by herself, he was putting an effort into it. And she was eternally grateful for that. They were never broken, just bent, and they were learning to love one another again, in the way they had when they first got together.

Fitz glanced at Mellie for a moment before rubbing Teddy's back, and turning his attention to him. "Good morning, buddy." He told him, smiling as he kissed his cheek. Teddy grinned and leaned in closer to his father, planting a wet kiss on his lips. Fitz wiped the slobber off of his face with his hand and chuckled softly, smiling at the little boy in his arms. "Yuck."

"Morning!" Teddy giggled and Mellie rolled over when she heard her son. She groaned, slowly opening her eyes and smiling at the sight of her son and husband together. She ran her hand through Teddy's hair, sitting up and softly kissing Fitz's lips. "Ew, mama." Teddy said and Mellie just laughed, pulling away from Fitz and smiling at the little boy. She pulled him into her arms and kissed him all over his face, grinning as he tried to pull away from her.

Mellie just laughed, tickling Teddy's chubby belly. He giggled, attempting to push her hands away. "Daddy. Help. Me." Teddy pleaded in between giggles and Fitz just smiled, shaking his head as she watched the two of them. He was loving seeing Mellie express the motherly gene that she swore she didn't have. She continued tickling him for a few more minutes before she just held him in her arms, gently rubbing his shoulder. Teddy snuggled into his mother, resting his head on her chest.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Fitz kissed Mellie's cheek, running his hand through Teddy's soft hair.

Mellie blushed and smiled at him. "Good morning, honey." She had really missed this. Being able to just lie in bed with him, wake up and actually say good morning to one another. For longer than she could remember, their mornings consisted of one of them getting up before the other and not having to see each other until they had a meeting with one another. They would barely speak to each other all day, unless they were forced to talk. She hated that. This, being able to spend time together like they used to, she absolutely loved this. Especially with Teddy in between them. This time it was going to be better. With both Teddy and Fitz, it was going to be better. She was going to be a better wife and a better mother. She was sure of this.

Mellie stood up, pulling Teddy into her arms. She kissed his cheek before handing him back to Fitz. "Do you want to take him to the park today?" She asked her husband before going into her closet and attempting to find something to wear for the day. Fitz nodded as he played with Teddy and Mellie got dressed, wearing a simple black skirt and a blue blouse. She came back out and picked up her son, smiling at him. "Daddy's gonna go get ready, and we're gonna go get you dressed, okay, baby?" Mellie asked and Teddy nodded, wrapping his arms around her neck. She kissed Fitz's cheek once more and brought Teddy to his room, getting him dressed in play clothes and brushing his tiny baby teeth before carrying him down to the kitchen, trying to find him something to eat.

"Eggies." Teddy said, looking up at his mother and pouting. "Pwease?" He asked innocently and Mellie just smiled at him, nodding as she told a staff member to make the 18 month old some eggs. She made him a bottle of milk and carried him to a table, sitting down and giving him the bottle. Mellie held him close, smiling as he cuddled into her, drinking the milk and kneading at her chest with his hand. She was trying to completely get him off of breastfeeding, and eventually completely off of the bottle, but Teddy wasn't having it. She was surprised he took the bottle without problem. Usually he'd try to convince her into letting him nurse, which would in turn result in Mellie giving in to her baby boy, especially recently since what happened with Jerry.

Mellie rubbed the little boy's back, watching him drink away as a staff member brought her a plate of scrambled eggs and a bottle of ketchup. Teddy immediately let go of the bottle and sat up, looking at Mellie before looking at the plate of food. The brunette just chuckled, taking the fork and feeding him his eggs. As he ate, Fitz came up behind the two of them, covering Mellie's eyes with her hands. "Guess who." He joked and Mellie shrugged lightly, grinning to herself.

"Um, Hal?" She asked and Fitz declined. "Tom?" Wrong again. "Oh, I know. It's Cy." Mellie laughed and she could hear Fitz chuckle behind her. "Is it my amazing husband?" She questioned and Fitz pulled his hands away from her eyes, turning her head toward him and kissed her lips ever so gently. Mellie smiled and kissed him back, Teddy pushing Fitz's face away from her.

"No, dada. Yucky." He told him, frowning. "My mommy." Teddy clung to Mellie and Fitz just smiled, ruffling his son's hair.

"Sorry buddy." He told him, sitting down and watching as Mellie finished feeding their boy. He adored how close they were now, even though he knew one of the main reasons for it was because she felt bad about Jerry. Either way, she had stepped up. And she loved Teddy so much. That wasn't out of obligation. That was out of true love for her little boy and he loved seeing the two of them so happy together.

"Mama. Wants some?" Teddy asked, taking the fork from his mother and holding it up to her. Mellie smiled and nodded, taking a bite of the eggs. Teddy just grinned, feeling accomplished as he scooped up another bite of eggs and held the fork up toward Fitz. "Daddy?" He questioned and Fitz just grinned, opening his mouth when Teddy moved the fork toward him. Teddy fed him a bite and handed the fork back to Mellie, who continued to feed the little boy. When he was done eating, Teddy looked up at his parents. "Park?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.

Mellie laughed quietly, nodding her head as Fitz took the plate to the sink. They both stood up and Mellie picked up Teddy, holding him close. They waited for Tom and Hal and took him to the park, spending time together like a true family. They were happy to finally get back into this. Of course, they weren't completely back to normal, but they were getting there, slowly but surely.


	3. Chapter 3

"Fitzzz. Stop. Let me go." Mellie laughed, standing in her closet in just her pink lace bra and matching panties. Fitz was standing behind her, tickling her with a silly grin on his face. He had missed this, amongst other things. He enjoyed just playing around with her, holding her in his arms, more than nearly anything. She always fought him, but the truth was that she loved when he did this, played around with her like they were teenagers, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Fitz tickled her some more and she wiggled under his touch, shaking her head. "Baby, stop it. Please." She pleaded, looking back at him and pouting.

He obliged, nodding his head and leaning in toward her, softly kissing her neck. "You got it, Mels. Now get dressed or we're going to be late for dinner."

"Yes, because that's my fault." Mellie joked, winking at Fitz before finding something to wear. She settled on a dress that she hadn't worn yet and walked out of the closet and into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup. Fitz watched her, smirking slightly as he finished tying his tie. It was as if they were newlyweds again. He couldn't believe that he had spent the past 15 years looking at her differently, despising her for turning away from him, when the truth was, it wasn't her fault. And he felt so terrible for not seeing that before. He felt terrible for not realizing what his father had done to her. But it was done and over, as Mellie had said, and if she had wanted him to find out, he would have. She made a point to be good at hiding it, so that he wouldn't find out.

He couldn't help but stare at her, taking in every ounce of her beauty. Every inch of her, from head to toe, was absolutely beautiful, as if God spent so much extra time on perfecting this amazing woman. Her hair, absolutely flawless. Her chin dimple made her look so adorable, so young and innocent. And he didn't even want to get started on her fabulous figure. Every asset of Mellie's body was absolutely perfect. Her breasts, her ass, her flat stomach. Of course, that wasn't all that he thought about, but since he was a male, it was up toward the top of his list. And with such a beautiful woman as his wife, with such beautiful features, how could he not focus on that? He couldn't believe that he had neglected her, that he had been blind for so long. And he felt the need to make it up to her.

"You done staring?" Mellie asked him, raising an eyebrow. Fitz jumped slightly as she spoke. He hadn't even noticed that she had stopped doing her makeup, much less that she had noticed him staring at her. He was so caught up in taking in her beauty that he had to be quickly brought back down to reality before realizing exactly what was going on.

He nodded quickly. "Sorry, Mels." Fitz admitted, blushing slightly when she caught him. Mellie just smirked, not saying another word as she stepped past him. He was awfully cute when he was staring at her. She'd forgotten about that. It had been so long since he'd even glance at her that staring had been a thing of the past, a thing that she had never expected again. The two of them continued to get ready, walking downstairs hand in hand when they finished, ready to face everyone and for once, not have to pretend they were happy. Although pretending used to be what was real, that was slowly beginning to become false. Their relationship was once again becoming real, full of love, and Mellie couldn't be more grateful.

The dinner was quiet, in their dining room with a small amount of people. It included Cyrus and Andrew, a few others, and against both Mellie and Fitz's wishes, Olivia Pope. Cyrus had invited her, even after Fitz demanded that she not be informed of the dinner. However, Cyrus did as he pleased, and Olivia showed up, mainly to spite Fitz. They all spoke with one another, laughing and joking as if nothing had happened. Fitz sipped on his scotch, his hand placed on Mellie's thigh as she happily took a sip of her wine. She preferred hooch, of course, but that wasn't an option. She wasn't Betty Ford, she couldn't be known as the First Lady who got sloppy drunk in the presence of others. She only did that alone.

Fitz's hand slowly wandered up Mellie's thigh as he spoke, and he slyly moved his chair closer to hers when no one was paying attention. He slipped his hand up the hem of her dress and Mellie could feel herself getting wetter as his hand moved closer. "Fitz." Mellie whispered, glancing at her husband. "Stop. I'm not wearing panties."

Fitz raised an eyebrow, trying to contain his excitement. "And that's a bad thing, why..?" He questioned, keeping his voice low.

"Because if you keep at it, my dress is going to get stained, and I'm not walking out of here with my ass covered in...you know."

"In what, Mellie?" Fitz asked, smirking as he pretended he didn't know what Mellie was talking about.

Mellie just shook her head. "You know what I'm talking about Fitz. I'm not saying it out loud so don't waste your breath."

Fitz just grinned, running his large finger along her nub once, to tease her, before dipping it into her wetness. She gave him a warning look and he pulled his hand back, watching her expression. He sneakily put his elbow on the table, placing his chin in his palm and sucking on his finger when no one was paying attention. He smiled over at Mellie, who rolled her eyes slightly. "You taste better than anything that I could ever possibly have for dinner tonight, Mels." She smiled back at him. "Or any night for that matter."

The dinner continued much like that, Fitz acting like a horny teenager around Mellie, Mellie turning him down because of a sheer want to be professional, and Olivia giving them dirty looks. Once the dinner was finished and everyone started to leave, Fitz and Mellie stood up, thanking everyone for coming and saying goodbye. Fitz's hand was rested on Mellie's ass, and every now and then, he'd give it a good squeeze, knowing that after a while, she wouldn't be able to resist his touch and she would eventually give in to him. He could tell that she was fighting it already.

Cyrus was the last to leave for the night, and he smiled at the couple before leaving the room. Mellie sat down and took out her phone, going through some emails while the staff cleaned up. When she was finished, she began looking on Pinterest, looking for new ways to redecorate and restore the White House. Fitz came up behind her, rubbing her shoulders. "God, Fitz. Don't stop. I really need that." She had had a long day and his strong hands massaging her was exactly what she needed tonight. He rubbed her shoulders for a few more minutes before leaning down and kissing her neck.

"What would you do if I bent you over this table right now?" He whispered in her ear, his voice husky. Mellie bit her lip, feeling her womanhood tingle as he spoke to her. She pressed her thighs closer together, not saying anything for a few seconds.

"Fitz, we can't. The staff is here."

"I can handle the staff, Mels." Fitz told her, looking at her for a moment before telling the staff members that he would finish up and that they could leave for the night. When they left, he smirked at Mellie, dropping to his knees and grasping her legs, turning her body so that he was facing her.

"Fitz!" She giggled, watching him. "Come on, not here. This is risky. Let's go to our room." They hadn't slept together since their night in the Oval, weeks before, and she wasn't sure if things would be the same. What if he couldn't get it up for her? She shook off the thought, trying not to think about it as he inched her dress up her thighs, a breeze of cool air hitting her womanhood once he revealed it to himself. Fitz immediately leaned into her and blew hot air on her, and as turned on as she was, Mellie pushed him away.

Fitz looked up at her, full of confusion. "I believe I owe you, Mr. President." Mellie told him, pulling her dress back down and standing up, taking Fitz's hand and pulling him to his feet. He felt himself harden as she called him that, the tone of her voice sulky and sexy. Mellie looked at the bulge in his pants and smirked to herself, glad that he could still be aroused by her. The brunette pulled him close to her, kissing him deeply, not wasting any time. Their tongues battled and she never wanted to pull away from him. Reluctantly she did so, falling to her knees and skillfully taking his belt out of the loops before unbuttoning and unzipping his pants, pulling them to his ankles. She only planned on giving him head here. They would move to the bedroom before they actually had sex. Someone seeing her on her knees, she could handle. That had happened before. Someone seeing her completely naked, being intimate with her husband, however, she couldn't handle that.

Mellie slipped his boxers down soon after and Fitz's erection sprung out of his pants, causing Mellie's mouth to water. She took his length into her hand and slowly moved up and down, feeling him harden even more under her touch. Fitz let out a small groan, enjoying the pleasure that was coming from the friction between Mellie's hand and his hard cock. Before he knew it, his member was in her mouth, and she was deepthroating him. That was something he really enjoyed about Mellie. When she took him, she took him good. He was big, bigger than average, but she could always take him completely into her mouth. The woman didn't have a gag reflex.

She bobbed her head up and down his manhood and one of her hands gripped his hips as he backed up against the edge of the table, throwing his head back in pleasure. Her free hand massaged his sac and he moaned, closing his eyes as he brought his hands down, holding Mellie's head. One hand played with her hair as the other just simply held her head in place, pushing her closer to him. Once he finally got over the initial pleasure, he gained his composure enough to take his phone out of his suit pocket and snap a few pictures of his wife giving him head. He quickly put his phone away before Mellie noticed and groaned softly as she began to move both her hands and mouth faster. "Ah, ah, teeth, Mellie. Teeth." Fitz complained, and yanked Mellie's hair back.

"Sorry." Mellie admitted, smirking up at him. "I guess I'm getting too into it." She told him, wasting no time in getting him back in her mouth. Most women hated giving men blowjobs, but this was something that Mellie had fallen in love with once she got with Fitz. Giving other men oral had never wet her whistle, but with Fitz, it was different. She adored having him in her mouth.

"God, Mels." Fitz groaned, letting her get back to it. She moved faster and Fitz could feel himself getting closer to his peak as his balls shifted. Mellie slowed down in order to tease him and he pushed her head closer toward him. "Damnit, Mellie. Faster." He begged and she obliged, moving back up to speed. "Shit, Mel. Ah, fuck." Fitz moaned, thrusting his hips up into her mouth, her name repeatedly coming out of his mouth as he shot his load deep into the back of Mellie's throat.

Mellie swallowed and cleaned him up, keeping him in her mouth until she felt him soften. She pulled his pants and boxers up before standing up, watching Fitz pout. "But baby." He whined and she just giggled, shaking her head.

"Come with me up to our room, then."

Fitz wasted no time in grabbing his belt and following suit as Mellie ran like a child up to their bedroom. He chased her, laughing once he heard her giggling. "You can't catch me!" She challenged and Fitz ran faster, finally catching up once they reached their bedroom. He quickly shut the door behind them and pushed her down onto the bed, roughly kissing her and unzipping her dress. Their clothes came off quickly and soon enough, he had Mellie on her back in only her bra. He picked her up slightly so that he could get it off and he kissed her lips as he tossed the piece of clothing across the room. Fitz moved down her body, kissing her neck and chest before kissing down the valley in between her breasts. A moan escaped his wife's lips and he smirked to himself, moving his mouth to one of her breasts and swiping his tongue along her puffy pink nipple, swirling it in circles as his hand caressed the other. Noises escaped Mellie's mouth and she ran her hand through Fitz's dark curly hair. She was sober now, unlike last time, and she could enjoy his touch a lot more now.

He moved to the other breast, giving it as much attention as the other before kissing back up to her lips. He slipped his hand in between her legs and rubbed her softly. "So damn wet, Mels..." Fitz whispered, pushing a finger inside of her and slowly moving it back and forth. Another moan came from her mouth and he pulled his finger from her, sticking it in his mouth and licking it clean before looking down at her. She was now completely naked, lying on her back with her legs spread wide for him, her bare pussy completely exposed to him. He found it so sexy that she still got waxed frequently, even when they weren't sleeping together. 'I do it for me, Fitz, not for you' is what she would tell him, a shot down for him being so modest. But he knew the truth. He knew she did it for him.

He was still standing above her, and he took his once-again hardened length into his hand and he found her opening, pushing into it. He could tell by the way she looked at him that she wanted it hard tonight. "Shit, Mellie." Fitz whispered, groaning as he entered her. "You're so fucking tight."

"And you're huge. Bad combination." Mellie wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer to her, letting out a loud moan. "But keep going. I'm throbbing." And that she was. Fitz could feel her pulsing around his thick cock and just that alone was almost enough to send him over the edge. He nodded and watched her face as he moved in and out of her, gradually moving faster. Her face during sex was one of the most priceless things he had ever seen in his life. He loved it. He couldn't get enough of it. Fitz groaned loudly as he moved in her, the combination of the feeling and the noises she was making giving him extreme pleasure. Mellie tightened her grip around his waist and she arched her back, causing Fitz to move deeper inside of him. "Fuck, Fitz." She moaned and Fitz smirked. Hearing her use profanities in bed turned him on even more than he already was. "Faster."

He moved faster and already, he could feel himself get closer and closer to his second climax of the evening. Mellie grabbed her breasts, her fingers toying with her hard, swollen nipples as he thrusted inside of her. She began to contract around his length and she moaned loudly as Fitz felt it too. He reached down, his thumb quickly rubbing her clit, immediately sending her over to edge. He followed lead shortly after her, shooting his hot load deep inside of her core. "Shit, shit, Fitz. Oh God, Fitz..." Mellie moaned, her once-shaking body collapsing once her orgasm had come to an end. "Oh, Fitz." She whispered, not opening her eyes quite yet.

"Damn, baby." Fitz whispered, slowly moving in her for a short period of time before pulling out of her and lying next to her. She was clearly already worn out and half asleep. Fitz chuckled slightly and helped her under the blanket, covering her up as he pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest, immediately falling asleep as Fitz watched her for the next twenty minutes. He fell asleep as well, the smell of sex and sweat filling up the room.

Fitz groaned in his sleep, rolling over and reaching over to pull Mellie closer to him. He frowned slightly, opening his eyes when he felt the spot next to him empty. The light from the bathroom was on and Fitz stood up, slipping on his boxers before walking across the room. "Mels?" He asked, and as expected, he received no answer. He slowly pushed open the bathroom door and Mellie threw something behind her when she noticed him come in. "Mels, what is it?" His wife was sitting on the toilet in her pink silk robe, and he raised an eyebrow as he attempted to look behind her. He walked closer to her and reached for what she had thrown, surprised when she didn't attempt to fight him. He picked it up, and looked at it, glancing down at Mellie, who, with tears in her bright eyes, looked scared to death.

"Mels. You're pregnant?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Keep reviewing! All comments are appreciated. **

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><p>"I was drinking earlier, Fitz. Drinking!" Mellie panicked, walking back and forth across the bathroom tile. Fitz watched her, shaking his head slightly. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew that she wouldn't want it. Not right now. Right now, she would just want to get it out of her system, to throw out every possible thing that she had done wrong in the past few weeks. After that, she would be fine. After that, she would let Fitz hold her and she would cry into his chest. But now, she just needed to get it all out.<p>

"It was one glass, Mels. It's okay, sweetheart." Fitz told her after a few minutes, reaching up and placing his hands on her waist, pulling her into his lap. "Mel, it's okay. It's going to be fine." He placed a small kiss on her neck, and gently rubbed her back. No, a child wasn't the greatest thing that you could add to the mixture, especially right after Jerry had died, but they would figure out the small details later, after he made sure that his wife didn't have a panic attack. He continued to soothe her, like a child, rubbing her back softly and resting his chin on her shoulder as he talked to her. "It's okay, baby." He whispered, one of his hands wandering down to her belly and slowly rubbing in circles.

Mellie looked at him, about to object to him touching her stomach, but she changed her mind and just turned her gaze back to the wall in front of her. She actually didn't mind him rubbing her belly. It made her feel safe. He hadn't done that since she was pregnant with Karen, and she had really missed it. He hadn't done it when she was pregnant with Teddy, for obvious reasons.

She wasn't exactly sure what this was, their relationship. He hadn't exactly said what he had wanted, or what his goals were, and to be truthful, up until now she hadn't cared. She was just happy that he was paying attention to her. But now, they had another life to worry about. Would things go back to how they were before, with them? Or would he run back into Olivia's arms and give this child the same fate of poor Teddy, who's had to grow up watching his parents fight 24/7? She wasn't going to ask him now, as she really enjoyed how close they were and how he was comforting her, and because she didn't want to ruin the moment. But it was something that needed to be brought up. And soon.

The couple sat on the floor for what seemed like hours, until Fitz convinced Mellie to get off of the ground and come to bed. It was nearly 5, usually time for Fitz to get up in the morning, but he texted Cyrus and told him to cancel anything he had to do for the day. He was going to take care of his wife. Before setting his phone down and wrapping his arms around the scared woman that was lying next to him in their bed, he sent a message to Rachel, Mellie's chief of staff, and told her the same thing that he had told Cy, to cancel Mellie's work for the day. He set his phone on his nightstand and held Mellie's small body close to his, trying to calm her as she fell back asleep.

They paid a visit to the White House doctor the next morning, who confirmed that Mellie was indeed pregnant. Six weeks, to be exact, which as if there was any doubt, confirmed that the babies, yes, two of them, were conceived on Fitz's desk in the Oval Office. Fitz smirked to himself just thinking about it. The doctor assured Mellie that the babies were fine and healthy, even after Mellie spilled her heart out and calculated exactly how many ounces of wine and hooch she'd drank in the past six weeks. She was worried, which was cute in Fitz's mind, but she had nothing to worry about. Their little munchkins were fine.

On the way back up to the residence, Fitz kept staring at the ultrasound picture, smiling as he took in every little detail about the very small, barely visible babies in Mellie's uterus. "Fitzgerald, put that thing away." Mellie told him, shaking her head as she walked into Teddy's bedroom. "You don't want the staff finding out and gossiping yet. Not until I'm at least 12 weeks and we're in the clear." Damn, she was bossy. But he liked it when she was bossy. "Please. I'm sorry for being a bitch, Fitz." Mellie frowned, turning around and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "Hormones."

Fitz chuckled, smiling at her. He put the picture into his pocket and walked with her, watching her as she walked toward Teddy's crib. "Hi there, beautiful boy." She picked up the toddler, who had the widest grin on his face the second that he saw Mellie. He immediately threw his arms around her neck and snuggled into her, and Fitz couldn't help but smile as he noticed how good the two of them were together. Teddy laid his head on Mellie's shoulder, looking up at her.

"Milks?" He asked, pouting.

Mellie quickly nodded, rubbing her son's soft back. "Yeah, yeah. We'll go down and get you a bottle from the kitchen."

Teddy quickly shook his head. "No baba."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted milk." She was playing dumb.

"Mommy milks." Teddy frowned, reaching down and pawing at her blouse. "Pwease?" He whined and Mellie just sighed, nodding slowly.

"Fine. But you have to come up to mommy and daddy's room." Mellie told him, walking with him and Fitz up to their bedroom. She sighed to herself once more, realizing that she definitely had to break Teddy of his breastfeeding habits soon, since the new baby would need it more than Teddy did. Oh, that was going to be absolute hell. There was no way Teddy would do it without a fight, and it would be even worse once he actually saw his younger sibling nursing. This was going to be a tough break for everyone involved.

They got into their bedroom and Mellie sat in bed with Teddy on her lap, and unbuttoned her silk blouse. She removed her bra and Teddy immediately latched on to her breast, his hands calmly kneading at her chest. Fitz watched, grinning as he stared at her bare breast. "Can daddy have a go?" He asked, already knowing Mellie's answer.

"When Teddy goes down for a nap, you can." She told him, knowing that the toddler was paying no mind to them. That was a different answer than he had expected. He expected, 'Absolutely not, Fitzgerald. I can't believe you would ever suggest that with our son sitting right here!'. But, he was wrong. He had been wrong about a lot of things lately and Mellie really surprised him.

"Mels, we need to talk...About us." He told her, rather suddenly, and Mellie looked up, nodding as if for him to go on. "I want this to work. Not only because you're pregnant, but because I really do love you. And I've been an ass recently." He sighed softly, looking into his wife's bright eyes as he spoke. "I know I haven't shown it lately. And I'm sure you find it very hard to believe, because I know everybody else finds it hard to believe, but...I'm still in love with you. I've been cold and terrible to you since Olivia has been around, even before then, and I apologize for that. I always blamed you for what happened to our marriage, and by doing that, I didn't feel the least bit ashamed about hurting you. But now I see why you distanced yourself. And that kills me. I know you don't want my sympathy or my pity, so I'll stop there. But I do love you and I want this to work. I want to make this better. I want my wife back, if she'll come back to me. I want so many more years with you, more than I'm likely to get. I want to grow old with you and watch our children's children grow up.."

He looked at Mellie, who's eyes were filled up with tears. She had her mouth covered in shock, unable to believe that Fitz had said those things. "I have waited so long to hear you say all of that, Fitz.." She managed to get out after a few minutes. "You have no idea how much I've just wanted you to say I love you and mean it, or how long I've waited for you to apologize..And I know it's not completely your fault. I know I'm to blame as well. It wasn't all you. I've done things that I shouldn't have and I'm truly sorry for that." She sighed, glancing down at Teddy before looking back up at her husband. "But if we can get past that, if we can get past the lies, and the cheating, and the hurt that we've caused each other, the terrible things that we've said to one another, then I think we'll be okay. If we can focus on one another and try hard for this marriage to work, I think it can happen."

Fitz nodded and walked up to the side of the bed, gently kissing Mellie's head and taking in the scent from her strawberries and cream shampoo. She's used the same cheap shampoo since their first vacation together years ago, and she had to buy cheap Suave shampoo and conditioner from the hotel gift shop. He always loved burying his face in her dark brown locks, just for the scent. She had been using that same brand and scent for years, just because Fitz loved it. Even after they slipped away from one another, that never changed. She had fallen in love with it just like he had, and the smell of her hair reminded her of him, and what they used to have together.

"It can happen." He told her, reaching down and taking her free hand, the one that wasn't rubbing Teddy's back, into his. He brought it up his lips, gently kissing it. "We can do it, Mels. We'll be okay." She looked up at him and nodding, giving him a soft smile.

"We'll be okay." She repeated, squeezing his hand softly. She looked at Teddy and kissed the top of his head. "We're having two more babies, Fitz.." She whispered, and Fitz just smiled at her.

"We're having two more babies, Mels."

Teddy unlatched from Mellie's breast, looking up at his parents and yawning. "Mama. Me sleepy." He told Mellie, wiping his eyes. She nodded and gently rubbed his back.

"Okay, baby. I love you." She kissed the top of his head before handing him to Fitz. "You get him down and then when you come back, we can spend some time alone." Mellie winked and Fitz darted out of the room, going to put Teddy in his crib for a nap, so he could have some time with his wife as soon as possible.


	5. Chapter 5

She's 4 months pregnant now, and according to her, disgustingly huge. The sad part is that she's just going to continue to get significantly bigger, and that she's not even half as big as she's going to be in the end. As long as things go as planned, which things usually don't in her life, she should make it to term with these two. Her and Fitz's relationship is great, and for no reason should she have to resort to drastic measures. She should never have done that with Teddy, but she would do anything for her marriage and for Fitz.

She doesn't want to know the sex of the two babies, but Fitz does, and America does. But these aren't America's babies. These two weren't necessarily planned, but even if they were, they wouldn't have been planned in order to save Fitz's presidency, much like Teddy was. So they'll be finding out the sexes in a month from now and she's actually pretty excited so that they can start decorating the nursery. She already has the most beautiful cribs picked out and there are gifts coming from nearly everyone that her and Fitz know, and that's a lot of people. Mellie has all intentions of being the best mom that she can be this time around. She's going to give her babies the best lives possible.

"Mels." Fitz looked at his wife, who was looking through Jerry and Karen's baby books. Mellie glanced up at him and smiled, moving over so that he could sit next to her on the bed. He reached over and played with her hair, resting his head on her shoulder and looking at their children's baby books. He couldn't help but smile when he saw pictures of Jerry when he was younger, on Fitz's shoulders, in Mellie's arms, and swimming with his water wings.

"So. We need to come up with two girl names and two boy names." Mellie told Fitz, who was unconsciously rubbing her stomach. "I don't want to have to wait until after the babies are born to name them, like we did we Teddy."

Mellie nodded and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I like Bellamy. For a girl." She told him, resting a hand on her large stomach. "I'm not sure about a boy yet...I like Nicholas. I've always liked Nicholas. Nicky. But it's a bad idea. It sounds too much like Nichols." Fitz just nodded, rubbing his hand in circles as he listened to her. She was right. Nicholas was definitely a bad idea.

"What about Benjamin? After Ben Franklin. We already have a child named after a president, why don't we add another one? Besides, I like the name." Fitz offered, looking up at his wife who nodded in agreement. She liked Benjamin. It was simple, and would work for a baby, a toddler, a child, and an adult. She really liked Benjamin.

"So we have Benjamin and Bellamy. What about Candace?" Mellie asked and Fitz just nodded.

"I like Candace. Candace, Benjamin, and Bellamy. Now we need one more boy name." He thought for a second, trying to think up another name. Many names ran through his head, but nothing was good enough to give to their child to live with for his entire life. "What about Brady? We have three B names and a C name."

Mellie smiled at him, kissing her husband's cheek. "I like that. That's perfect. I honestly expected it to take us much longer to figure out names." She laughed and Fitz pulled her into his lap, softly kissing her lips.

"Well then we have time to do something else, don't we?" He smirked and Mellie just grinned as she kissed him.

* * *

><p>They had decided not to do what they did with Teddy, and instead of announcing the babies genders on national television, they would find out privately at Mellie's OBGYN's office. They were up early, getting dressed and chatting away as Fitz obsessed over Mellie's big round stomach. He planted two kisses on it, one for each baby, before standing up and letting Mellie continue to get ready. The two of them got Teddy, and walked down to the car, hand in hand, all over each other while everyone around them watched. But they didn't care. For once, they weren't pretending. Their love, their marriage, it was real for the first time in a very long time, and they couldn't be more grateful for it.

They waited in the exam room, Mellie nervously tapping her foot against the leg of the table. Fitz just laughed as he watched her, smiling at her nervousness. It was adorable how she was nervous about solely finding out the genders of their babies, their twins. He still couldn't believe that she had two babies inside of her. He didn't have a clue how they were going to handle two infants at their age, but they would figure it out. They always figured it out.

Mellie's doctor came in and greeted them both, smiling when she saw Fitz. It was a great change to her since he never went to any appointments when she was pregnant with Teddy, but he hadn't missed an appointment during her current pregnancy. Fitz bounced Teddy on his leg, smiling as the toddler anxiously waited to figure out if he was going to be the big brother to two girls, two boys, or a boy and a girl. He was on board with the idea of Mellie having two babies, except for the fact that he was going to have to stop nursing. But Fitz and Mellie were spoiling him, in order to make sure that he didn't feel left out, so it wasn't a huge deal to him.

Mellie paid attention to Teddy and Fitz as her doctor started the ultrasound, and they all looked up at the monitor as an image popped up. The babies had gotten so much bigger than last time. Mellie smiled as she stared at the screen, and Fitz had a hue grin on his face. "Babies!" Teddy squealed and all three adults laughed, smiling at the little boy.

"Yes, Teddy. It's the babies." Mellie told him as the doctor showed her the babies' feet, hands, and their huge heads.

She asked if they wanted to know the sexes and Mellie nodded, smiling at her. "Well, baby A...The one with it's thumb in it's mouth. That would be a boy." She told her and Teddy squealed again, starting to shout about how he was going to have a baby brother. The doctor smiled and looked at the other baby. "And this one, the one who's hiding behind big brother here, that's a girl, Mrs. Grant."

"A boy and a girl." Mellie smiled over at her husband, who had a huge grin on his face.

"A boy and a girl. Bellamy and Benjamin." Fitz told her, looking at Teddy. "You hear that, buddy? You're getting a baby brother and a baby sister." Teddy smiled and jumped off of Fitz's lap, running over to Mellie and climbing up next to her and kissing her belly.

"Me loves you, baby brudda and sissy."

Mellie and Fitz grinned from ear to ear, watching as their little boy loved on his brother and sister. This made it seem so much more real. They were having twins. Two babies. Another boy and another girl. And neither of them could be more excited.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: It's 6am and I was in the mood for some smut. ;) & of course, some lovey-dovey Mellitz. So, here you go!**

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><p>They're sitting at dinner, eating quietly as Karen and Teddy eat across from them. Teddy's shoveling mashed potatoes into his mouth with his hands, and for once, Mellie's not worried about him getting messy. She's more worried about the happy family dinner that they're having, where no one is fighting, and everyone is laughing and getting along well. She's wanted that for years. And even though they don't have Jerry with them anymore, she loves the time that she gets to spend with her family.<p>

However, Fitz had been rubbing her thigh and slipping his hand up the hem of her dress, causing her to squirm quite a lot during dinner. Luckily, Karen and Teddy hadn't seemed to notice. Fitz ran his fingers slowly up her leg, slipping his hand up even further than he had gone that evening. Mellie bit her lip slightly and gave him a warning look. He knew that her hormones were completely out of whack and that she was especially easy to turn on since she had been pregnant. And Fitz enjoyed pushing her buttons when it came to this.

He excused himself from the table, smirking at Mellie. "I have to go deal with something." He smiled at his family, and the silly grin on his face when he looked at Mellie told her that he was up to something. She waited a few minutes before excusing herself as well, kissing both of her children's foreheads and headed down the hallway to see what Fitz was up to.

As she walked down the hallway, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into a room. She giggled slightly, knowing that it was her husband who had grabbed her. He kissed her lips hard, shutting the door and pulling him close to her. It took Mellie a few to realize exactly where they were. She hadn't noticed when he grabbed her, and his lips were sort of distracting her. Finally, she realized that she was in a bathroom near the Oval Office.

"Mellie." Fitz whispered, running his hands through his wife's long, curly hair. "I need you." He told her, moving her hair to the side and kissing her neck, sucking softly as moans escaped Mellie's soft lips. She didn't say anything, just nodded as coherently as she possibly could while he left dark marks on her skin.

He didn't waste any time hiking her dress up past her thighs, and removing her lace panties. Even being 6 months pregnant, her lingerie game was still on point. He turned Mellie around, bending her over the counter and reaching in front of him and in between his wife's legs, his fingers skillfully rubbing her most sensitive area. She let out a loud moan, throwing her head back. "Ohhh Fitz..." She whispered, and with his other hand, he quickly pulled down his pants and boxers.

"What, baby?" Fitz smirked, his voice sexy and deep. He continued to rub her, growing harder in his pants as Mellie's noises got louder. He continued to rub her and Mellie reached down, pulling his hand away and telling him to stop. He raised an eyebrow, looking at the brunette in front of him. "What do you want, Mellie?"

"You know what I want."

"I don't think I do. Why don't you tell me?"

He slipped his hand in between her legs once more, pushing a finger inside of her and listening to her moan. "Fitz, please..." She begged and once again, Fitz acted as if he had no idea what she was talking about. He moved his finger inside of her and Mellie sucked in a breath. "Fitzgerald, I need you inside of me. Now!"

Fitz smirked, finally feeling accomplished. He took his rock hard member into his hand and guided himself inside of her, hearing her gasp as he pushed into her. "God, Fitz." Mellie moaned, placing her palms on the counter so that she could keep her balance and hold herself up. Fitz moaned as well, grunting as he rammed into her, the echoing of his skin slapping against hers. He reached down with the hand that wasn't gripping her hip and rubbed her ass, gripping it slightly.

"Shit, Mellie." Fitz grunted, slamming his hips into her, listening to her cry out and moan his name. "Fuck, Mels." He wiped sweat from his forehead with his forearm, concentrating on pleasuring her as best as he could. He could feel her tighten up around his throbbing cock, and he felt himself get close to his climax. He moved faster and harder, holding her waist with both hands and pulling her closer to him.

"Ah, ah, oh Fitz!" Mellie moaned as she reached her peak and Fitz grabbed her hair and pulled it back toward him so that he could watch her face as she orgasmed. The look on her face sent him over the edge and he came hard, shooting his hot load deep inside of her. He slowed down his movements and held Mellie close to him, softly kissing her neck as they both came down from their highs. God, he loved sex with her. They were so close when they did it now. It was so romantic, even when it was dirty and fast, like it was tonight.

He held her close to him and she turned her head, softly kissing his lips. "Thank you, baby." She whispered and he kissed her back, slowly pulling out of her and spinning her around, wrapping his arms around her.

"No, baby. Thank you." He smiled at her and they both caught their breath before fixing their clothes and leaving, Mellie a few minutes before Fitz and going up to their bedroom. She got changed into a pair of striped pink pajama shorts and a black tank top, and laid in bed, resting her hand on her belly as the twins kicked away.

Fitz came back in and stripped down to his boxers, climbing into bed next to his wife. "They're kicking. Wanna feel?" Mellie asked and Fitz nodding, offering his hand to Mellie so that she could put it where they were pushing their tiny feet against. She guided his hand to her lower belly and he grinned widely when he felt his babies kicking hard against Mellie's stomach.

"We woke them up, didn't we?" Fitz teased and Mellie just laughed, laying down as her husband gently massaged her belly. She loved this so much. Being able to lie in bed with Fitz and obsess over their babies together. She had longed for this for so long. Not necessarily the babies part, but the part where she can be in love with her husband and he can love her back. The part where they can have normal conversations and they don't spit mean words at each other every ten seconds. She adored this, and she could tell that Fitz did too. Their marriage was stronger than ever, and to be honest, she couldn't wait to welcome their two little rugrats into the world, so that they could share the joy with them.


	7. Chapter 7

She's hiding in the bathroom, sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up as close to her chest as they possibly can be, thanks to her enormous belly. It can't be much later than 3. She came in here around 2:30, and even though it seemed like she had been sitting in here forever, she knows it hasn't really been that long. The babies are kicking softly, in a way that oddly comforts her, keeping her mind away from the thoughts that were previously occupying it.

Occasionally, she'd have nightmares. Nightmares about the night where she truly lost her innocence, where she had to learn to hide her true emotions, her real feelings, the night where she had to become incredibly strong, even stronger than she already was. She was a strong woman before her father in law had forced himself upon her. Now, she was record-breaking strong. And she was so used to it that it didn't even phase her anymore.

She was so used to doing this, to quietly climbing out of bed and going into the bathroom to gather her thoughts, to be alone and to recuperate from the night terror that she had just woken up from. They were basically repeats of that terrible night, and just reliving it tore her to pieces. Just reliving it broke the strong woman that she had taught herself to be. Just reliving that night turned her into a vulnerable, broken woman, who had to deal with her problems on her own.

But now, with her marriage repaired, she could probably wake up Fitz when she had dreams like that. She could probably have him hold her and whisper to her that everything would be okay. But, she was too stubborn to ask for his help. She was too stubborn to admit that she had still had nightmares about that night nearly 17 years ago. Mellie had never been the type of person to admit self-defeat, and she wasn't going to start doing it now.

After spending the next twenty minutes gathering her thoughts and pulling herself together, Mellie drug herself off of the bathroom floor and back into bed, lying next to Fitz who hadn't moved a muscle in the past hour and a half. She glanced at the clock, noticing that it was nearly four, and as if on cue, yawned as she wrapped her arm around her belly, feeling one of the babies kick against her hand. She smiled to herself, closing her eyes and thankfully falling back into a deep slumber.

In the morning, she woke up to see Fitz rubbing her stomach, talking quietly to the babies. She quickly shut her eyes, hoping that Fitz hadn't noticed that she was awake yet. "Your mommy and I love you two so much already…We can't wait until we can finally meet you in a few months." He leaned down and softly kissed her stomach through her t-shirt, gently running his hand and circles. He truly couldn't wait to meet those sweet babies of theirs. He knew that him and Mellie were going to have a much better relationship with these two than they had with their other children. Of course, they were trying with Teddy, but part of him worried that they would be too late, even though he was still so young. With the twins, they had a second chance. Well, technically a fourth and fifth chance, but it was all the same.

After confirming that he was done talking, Mellie slowly opened her eyes, stretching and yawning as she looked at the handsome man in front of her. "Mm, good morning." She whispered, leaning in close to him and softly kissing his lips. He pulled her close to him and grinned, pulling away after a few seconds, staring at her beauty. Even first thing in the morning, when she had just woken up with no makeup on, and her bedhead at its best, she was so breathtakingly beautiful.

"Good morning, sweetheart." He told her, placing his hand on her belly once more. "And good morning, my two little rugrats." Mellie absolutely adored how into everything Fitz was. He was so excited about the twins, and truthfully, so was she. Everything was nearly perfect. Their lives were so absolutely perfect at the moment. Of course, she didn't want to curse anything by saying how great their lives were. They didn't have the best relationship with Karen, who went back to boarding school as soon as she could possibly get away from them, but other than that, everything was great. They had a beautiful son who they loved more than life itself, their marriage was at the strongest possible point ever, and their sweet twins were as healthy as can be. Life couldn't get any better at the moment.

"What's the date?" Mellie asked, glancing at her husband, who pulled out his phone and told her the date. October 3rd. She smiled to herself, looking at him. "33 weeks today." She told him, and he grinned wide, rubbing her stomach. They didn't say anything else to each other, just smiled at one another as they got out of bed and got ready for the day ahead of them.

A few hours later, Mellie was sitting in her office, going through the plans for a dinner that they were supposed to have at the Residence in a few days. She was making sure that everything was correct and ready, so that she didn't have to worry about it at the last moment, when she felt an odd feeling in her stomach. She thought it was cramping for a moment, but she knew exactly what she was feeling. It was contractions. She was only 33 weeks pregnant and she was having contractions. God, why did she have to be thinking about how absolutely perfect their life was this morning? She had cursed them. She couldn't be having contractions. These babies still had weeks left. They weren't ready.

She reached for her phone and picked it up, dialing Fitz's number. She waited anxiously as it rang, pain shooting through her as he finally answered the phone and she heard his voice. "Fitz, honey…Can you come to my office please?" She tried her hardest not to sound nervous as she fought the pain that was overwhelming her.

"Yeah, just let me finish up-"

"No." She interrupted him, sighing slightly as she clutched her stomach. "Now. Please come now."

He immediately knew that something was up with the babies. "I'm on my way." He told her, hanging up the phone as he ran to the East Wing, bursting into Mellie's office. So many thoughts were running through his head as he rushed to her side. "What's going on?" He asked, kneeling down next to her and softly rubbing her back.

Mellie closed her eyes tight, scrunching up her face as another contraction hit her. "Ohh..God. Contractions. I'm having contractions." She told him, trying to keep as calm as possible. He helped her up and told Tom and Hal to inform the ambulance that they were coming. He tried to calm her, telling her to take deep breaths and that everything would be okay. Of course, he was worried, but at this point, he just needed to be there for his wife. He just needed to keep her calm and make sure that she was alright. Because right now, they were a team. They were partners. And they were going to get through this together.


	8. Chapter 8

When they got to the hospital, the doctors confirmed that yes, Mellie was having contractions, but thankfully, her water hadn't broke. They managed to stop her contractions, but wanted to keep her in the hospital until she delivered, to be sure that if she started having early contractions again, they could stop them. Of course, Mellie was extremely upset, but it was for their babies. Their children's lives depended on her staying in the hospital, so she was eventually perfectly okay with it. Fitz stayed by her side the entire time she was in the hospital, and Mellie managed to keep those two in the oven until she was completely to term, finally delivering the babies at 42 weeks. At 4:32 AM, she delivered the first baby, Benjamin Carter. 10 minutes later, their baby girl, Bellamy Danielle, was welcomed into the world.

After they cleaned off the babies, the nurses handed baby Bellamy to her mother, and little Benjamin to his father. They held them, cooing over how absolutely adorable they were, and how amazingly well Mellie did, for the 4th time, in labor. She moved over slightly so that Fitz could sit next to her, and he did, kissing Mellie's sweaty forehead.

Benjamin, who Mellie was already calling Benny, came out with a head of dark hair, weighing in at a surprising 9 pounds, 3 ounces. He was 20 inches in length, and he was already the sweetest baby in the world. Bellamy, who Fitz had already given the nickname of Bella, had been only a bit smaller than her brother, at 19 inches, and 8 pounds, 13 ounces. They switched babies, and Fitz glanced down at his little girl, immediately falling in love with the beautiful, blonde haired, blue eyed baby in his arms.

The nurses took the babies after a while, after Mellie had fed both of them, and she almost immediately went to sleep, exhausted from the labor. Fitz watched her for a bit before leaving, going home to get changed, get Mellie and the babies some clothes, and to get Teddy so that he could meet his baby brother and sister, and so that he could see his mommy, who he missed like crazy.

When Mellie woke up, Teddy was curled up into her side, sucking his thumb and watching Spongebob on Mellie's iPad. She smiled at him, running her hand through his hair as she yawned and tried to adjust to the light in the room. "Good morning, beautiful boy." She kissed the top of the little boy's head, and when he noticed that his mother was awake, he immediately dropped the iPad and turned around, hugging Mellie tight.

"Mommy!" He giggled, kissing her cheek. Mellie just laughed and smiled down at him, gently rubbing his cheek. "Where's babies?" Teddy asked her, snuggling into her once more.

Mellie just laughed, gently rubbing her baby boy's back. "I'm sure they'll be here soon, sweetie. The doctors have to watch them to make sure that they're healthy enough to go home soon." She glanced over at Fitz, who was sitting in the chair next to her bed, watching her bond with their son.

"Yous no forget about me now, rights?" He frowned, looking up at his mother. "Now that the babies is here?"

Him asking that just broke Mellie's heart. The fact that he even thought that killed her on the inside. "Baby.." Mellie sighed and pulled her baby boy into her arms, holding him close. "Honey, of course not. You're my baby boy. I will never forget about you. I will love you just as much as I do now. The only difference is that you have a little brother and a little sister now. You're a big brother. I'm not going to forget about you and I'm not going to love you any less. And neither is daddy." She kissed the top of his head, sighing quietly.

"Me no wanna be big brudda…Me wanna be the baby." Teddy complained, burying his head in Mellie's chest. When she was pregnant, he was so excited about having two new babies in the house, about being a big brother. He still wanted to be the baby, his mommy's little boy. He didn't think about how much he'd have to give up until now. No more snuggling in between mommy and daddy at night, no more drinking mommy's milk, no more being the baby. The twins were the babies now and they were going to get all of the attention that used to be his. And he didn't like that.

Mellie sighed, watching as Teddy lifted his head up and looked at her, tears in his bright blue eyes. "Honey, you're still mommy's baby."

Teddy shook his head, wiping his tears from his face. "No! Babies ruin everythin'!" He yelled and buried his face in his mother's chest, crying hard and loud. All that Mellie could do was rub the little boy's back, and fight tears herself. He had been so excited throughout her entire pregnancy, that not for a second had she worried about this being a problem. Never had she worried that he would have an issue with not being the baby in the house anymore. For once, he had been getting a bunch of attention from both of his parents, for the first time in his life, and that was being taken away from him again. Not on purpose, of course, but infants needed more attention than Teddy did. Mellie and Fitz didn't want to do what they had done with Teddy when he was a newborn and just pawn them off on Marta. They wanted to be good, decent parents to the twins and give them the nurturing that they needed from the start.

Fitz didn't know what to do, and right as he stood up to rub Teddy's back and attempt to comfort him, the nurses brought the twins in. Fitz sighed to himself and sat down, watching as Mellie let out a small sigh as well. One of the nurses tried to make small talk with them both, asking how Mellie was and how Teddy was feeling about being a big brother. Mellie wasn't about talking at the moment, giving one worded answers as she took Benjamin from the nurse. Bellamy was handed to Fitz and the nurses left the room.

Teddy looked up at Mellie with his red, tear-stained cheeks and swollen face, looking absolutely betrayed as he saw his mother with the new baby. He angrily rolled over and shoved his face into a pillow, kicking his feet and hitting the pillow. Mellie opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out as she reached over Teddy and handed the eldest twin over to her husband. This was going to be tough. She leaned over and grasped Teddy's hips, pulling him into her lap. "Baby boy, come here…" She whispered, but Teddy continued yelling and kicking, big crocodile tears streaming down the toddler's face. Usually, this would be the moment when Fitz and Mellie would discipline him, telling him that he was being completely out of control and that he needed to stop before they put him in timeout. But at this moment, they couldn't do that. They were both so absolutely heartbroken at the current moment that they could do nothing but try to comfort him.

"Mes wanna go home!" Teddy cried, shaking his head as Mellie tried to hold him. "Mes wanna leave babies here and gos home with mommy!"

That poor baby. Mellie thought to herself, looking at the little boy and trying her absolute hardest to fight the tears that so badly wanted to fall. "Teddy Bear, baby boy…" The brunette sighed and looked at him, running a hand through his soft dark hair. "Can you stop crying and listen to mommy for a second, please?" She asked, and Teddy looked at her, his pouty face on, and nodded slowly as his mother wiped the remaining tears from his face. "Having the babies around will not change anything. I will still spend all of the time with you that I have before, and so will daddy. Yes, we will both be so much more tired, but it will not cut into our time with you. I promise you that." She kissed the top of his head. "I love you with all of my heart, baby. Nothing will ever change that. Having Bella and Benny will not change the amount of love that I have for my sweet baby boy."

Teddy looked up at her, his tiny lip still quivering. "Yous pwomise?"

"I promise."

He wrapped his arms around her, tightly holding her. "Mommy, mes wants milk…" He whispered and Mellie nodded, adjusting her gown so that he could easily have access to her breast. Fitz gave her a look, and she gave one back, ultimately the winning look. She had been unable to make him stop nursing while she was pregnant, and had told Fitz that once the babies were born, she would make it happen. But she couldn't right now, not with him acting like this. Mellie rubbed his back, watching as the toddler latched onto her breast and began sucking tiredly, falling asleep after a short ten minutes. Mellie left him where he was as Fiz changed the twins' diapers and rocked them to sleep, putting them both back in their bassinets.

"Hey, Mellie?"

Mellie looked over at her husband, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"You know how you swear you don't have the mother gene?"

She nodded, waiting to hear the rest of what he was getting at.

"You do." He continued. "What you just did with Teddy, what you've been doing with Teddy for nearly the year since we've decided to try and make it work, that's the motherly gene. Maybe you didn't have it with Jerry and Karen, for obvious reasons. But you have it now, with Teddy. And you will continue to have it with Bellamy and with Benjamin. You have that motherly gene, Mellie. It just wasn't active until recently. You've had it all along." He stood up and kissed the top of his wife's head, looking down at his son in her arms. "If you didn't, Teddy would have stopped breastfeeding a long time ago." He joked and Mellie just rolled her eyes, smiling as she kissed him.

"I love you, Fitz."

"I love you too, Mels."


	9. Chapter 9

_3 months later:_

Things were going great. Mellie was doing absolutely fantastic at this mother thing, significantly better than she had been doing the first time she became a mother. Of course, there were reasons, but because of that, she swore that she didn't have the mother gene. Now, 17 years later, as Fitz had told her, it was clear to her that she clearly did have it.

She was doing great at balancing her time with the twins and Teddy, who was getting much more used to his little brother and sister. He was for the most part weaned off of breastfeeding, except for right before bed, and Mellie loved that time that they had together. It was their bonding time. It was more her that was reluctant to get him completely off of nursing, but she knew she needed to. He was 2 now, and he needed to be off of it, especially with the twins here now, but for some reason, she didn't want to make him do it yet. She wanted to let him wean himself off of it when he wanted to.

She walked into the nursery, Teddy on her hip, and smiled when she saw Fitz in the rocking chair, softly rocking Bellamy. He was in a pair of blue plaid pajama pants and his NAVY shirt, and Bella was dressed in a hot pink onesie, her hospital blanket wrapped around her. "Good morning." Mellie smiled and set Teddy on the ground, watching as the little boy immediately ran to his brother's crib, grabbing at the white bars.

"Mama! Mes wanna see Benny." Teddy begged, puckering out his bottom lip. He plopped down on the ground, playing with the bottom of his Cars pajama pants. Mellie just laughed and picked up the 3 month old, softly kissing the top of his head.

"Jeez, little man. You're growing bigger and bigger every day." The baby smiled at her and she tickled his belly, setting him down on the floor next to Teddy. "Be careful with him, buddy." She told him, walking over to Fitz and sitting next to him, watching as their boys played together on the floor. Of course, Benjamin wasn't doing anything but watching his brother, but Teddy was having a blast.

Fitz leaned over and gently kissed Mellie's temple, turning his attention back to the baby in his arms. "Bells, you wanna see mommy?" He asked, handing the infant over to her mother. Mellie took her and held her, cooing at her for a few minutes before looking back to Fitz. "She sleeps a lot less than B. She falls asleep later, and wakes up earlier." He noted, reaching over and running his hand over the baby's small amount of light blonde hair. "Which isn't a problem, of course. I love seeing my baby girl."

Mellie just watched the baby, falling into a daze as she stared into her infant's bright blue eyes. She had Fitz's eyes. All of their children did. They all had good amounts of features from both parents, but every one of them, Jerry, Karen, Teddy, Benjamin and Bellamy, all had Fitz's bright blue, mesmerizing eyes. Which of course, Mellie didn't have a problem with. She absolutely loved Fitz's eyes. And she loved all of their children's eyes.

Benjamin started to cry, and Mellie immediately snapped out of her daze. Her head shot over to Teddy and the infant, the look on Teddy's face absolutely priceless. Benny was lying on his stomach, screeching loudly, his head up looking at Teddy, and Teddy was staring at him, his bottom lip puckered out as if he was about to cry. "Me didn't do nuffins!" He defended, whining as he looked at his little brother. Fitz chuckled lightly and walked over, taking his youngest son into his arms and comforting him, watching as the baby immediately stopped crying.

"Shhh…Teddy, it's okay, buddy. We know you didn't do anything." Fitz told him as Mellie stood up and set Bellamy in her crib before taking the whining toddler into her arms. She held him close and rocked him, kissing the top of his head and convincing him that everything was alright.

Teddy nodded, his face red and cheeks puffy from crying, which he started the second that Fitz had picked up his younger brother. He laid his head on Mellie's shoulder and let out a small sigh. "I think someone's awfully sensitive today." Mellie teased, softly rubbing the little boy's back. "It's okay, sweet pea. I'm sure nothing you did made him cry."

Fitz nodded, setting B on the changing table and unsnapping his bright blue onesie. "It's not, buddy. B just needed a diaper change. He hates being dirty and that's why he cried." Fitz explained and Mellie tickled Teddy's feet to try and cheer him up. The little boy giggled, a large smile appearing on his face as he looked at his mother.

"That's my boy. And that sweet smile that I love so much." She kissed his cheek and he turned his head, returning the kiss. "Speaking of stinky babies, does another certain little boy need a diaper change?" Mellie asked as she poked Teddy's belly.

"Nos." He told her, his face immediately getting serious. "Mes no stinky."

Mellie just laughed and shook her head, checking his diaper when he wasn't paying attention. "Well, let's go get you and the twins some breakfast, and then we'll figure out what we're going to do today." Teddy nodded, laying his head down on Mellie's shoulder and watching his father change Ben's diaper. He reached out and grabbed Mellie's ponytail, trying to pull her dark locks out of the band that was holding them together. "Ouch, Teddy Bear." Mellie frowned and took her hair down, letting it fall over Teddy's face.

"Yuck." Teddy whined, blowing air out of his mouth to get the hair out of his face. He failed miserably and eventually gave up, closing his eyes as the nest of dark brown hair resting over his tiny head. Mellie chuckled lightly, looking at him in the mirror. Fitz finished changing his son and laughed when he looked at his wife and Teddy, shaking his head slightly. He took Bellamy out of her crib and carried her down to the dining room, setting the two of them in their highchairs.

He walked over and kissed Mellie's forehead, running his fingers through her hair before moving it out of Teddy's face, and planting a kiss on his soft chubby cheeks. "I'm gonna go get us some food. I'll be back in a few." Fitz ruffled Teddy's hair, glancing at his wife as he walked away. She still looked absolutely amazing, even if pink striped pajama pants, and his white button-down shirt. He smirked to himself as he walked away; when they were younger and first married, every time that she had to drag herself out of the bed in their freezing cold apartment on Oregon Street, if she was naked, which she was 99.9% of the time, she'd put on that shirt of his. Seeing her wear that shirt again brought back memories. Great memories.

Fitz got them all food, eggs, pancakes and bacon, and came back while the staff cooked it. He picked up Ben, playing with him while Mellie played on the floor with Teddy. Fitz sat down next to them, getting both of the twins and playing with them as all a family. It was great to have a family with Mellie again. Of course, a year ago, he had wanted a family with Olivia, in Vermont. But this was the dream. All along, this was the dream that he had wanted to see. This was the dream that he had been too blind to see the entire time. A real family was what he had been dreaming of all along. And now he had it.


	10. Chapter 10

"Sir?" Cyrus walked into the Oval Office, looking at Fitz, who was sitting on the floor, playing with Bellamy. She was lying on her stomach on top of a pink blanket, in a polka dot onesie and a pair of the tiniest jeans that Fitz had ever seen in his life. He looked up at Cyrus and nodded, letting his chief of staff know that he was indeed listening to him. "We have a situation, sir." Cy told him and Fitz raised an eyebrow. A situation could mean nearly anything from Mellie's having a bad day and is about to snap, to, terrorists have invaded the country and immediate action needs to be taken. The word situation did not narrow anything down for him.

"What do you mean, situation, Cy?" He asked as he picked up Bellamy, tickling her chubby belly. He looked at Cy, who looked like veins were about to pop out of his head. That didn't narrow anything down either. Still, even with Cy's stressing expression, the options ranged from "Mellie and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day", to, "Bye Bye America".

Cy let out a loud sigh, watching the president play with his baby on the floor of the Oval Office. He didn't want to ruin this happy moment, but he had absolutely no choice. He needed to know. "Vermont, sir." Cyrus told him, his expression still not changing. Fitz's raised an eyebrow, his hand immediately halting movement and no longer tickling his daughter.

So many thoughts ran through his head when Cyrus mentioned Vermont, but the main one involved his wife. Did Mellie know? Maybe Cy's stress was due to Mellie. God, the things she would do if she found out about Vermont. That would completely ruin their happy family. He should've sold it a year ago, when him and Liv had completely cut ties and he had started to work on his marriage. But it was Liv's house. He had it built for her. Even though it was built for them, it was still hers. He had no need for it, not anymore, so why not give it to Olivia?

Fitz continued to look at him, and Cy took it as permission to go on. "It…It was burned down last night, sir."

Mellie was gone last night. So many things were going through his mind and that was the first thing that hit him. Mellie had been away last night, claiming that she had to make a speech somewhere in Florida. Of course, Fitz thought nothing of it until now. What are the chances that the house that he built for him and his mistress be burned down the same exact night that his wife be gone, alone, for the first time in over a year? But Mellie would have said something to him. Mellie was the type of person who couldn't keep a secret like that inside. But then again, she had kept the Big Jerry situation a secret for over 15 years, so he truly wasn't sure what his wife was capable. He'd had to play it out. Just in case she didn't know, he'd have to play it cool.

**_Flashback, 1 year ago:_**

_"Hal!" Mellie ran up to the Secret Service agent, smiling at him. He knew she wanted something. She always wanted something when she talked to him._

_"Yes, ma'am?" He asked, looking straight ahead as he spoke to the First Lady._

_Mellie sucked in a breath, looking at Hal. "Where was my husband last night? He was supposed to be in Connecticut, but you and I both know that's not where he was."_

_Hal sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I can't tell you ma'am. That's classified information."_

_Mellie sighed as well. She knew that this was going to be difficult. Time for Plan B. She ran her fingertips up Hal's chest, biting her lip seductively as she looked up at the tall agent. "Aw, come on…No one has to know that the information came from you. Just let a girl know where her husband was, when he clearly wasn't where we was supposed to be."_

_Hal shook his head. As much as he wanted to tell her, he couldn't. He would be in so deep if he told her. Then again, he would probably be in deep if he didn't tell her and just let her continue trying to get it out of him. "I can't, ma'am."_

_The First Lady frowned, her hand moving lower, down his chest and down his stomach. Luckily, there was no one else in the hallway. Just the two of them. "Please, Hal? It'll be worth your while if you tell me." She wasn't serious, of course. But she was great at getting her way, as was she at being flirty, the both of them put together always working out in her favor._

_"He was in Vermont, ma'am." Hal told her, sucking in a breath as he tried to keep his composure. _

_"And why was he in Vermont?" Mellie asked as her fingertips moved lower._

_"That's where he had a home built for him and Miss Pope, ma'am."_

_Mellie felt her heart drop to her stomach as he got the sentence out. She immediately dropped her hand, nodding her head. "Oh. Um, thank you.." She told him, quickly turning and rushing back to her and Fitz's bedroom. She sat down on their bed, and did something that she hadn't done in a very long time. Cried. She was a strong woman. She didn't cry. But she had reached her breaking point. He had a home built for them? This was the last straw. This was their breaking point. This was the absolute end of their marriage. _

_Once she had pulled herself together, she headed back to her office, grabbing the bottle of hooch that she kept in the bottom of her desk drawer. She poured herself a glass and drank. She drank, and drank, and drank, until she was at the point where she couldn't even remember why she had started drinking. Which was the point that she wanted to be at. She was numb. She didn't remember Vermont, she wasn't thinking at her cold, dead marriage. And that's exactly what she wanted. For once in the past 5 years, she didn't want to have Olivia Pope on her mind. _

_She was so out of it that she didn't even notice the time until her husband trailed into her office. She had her bare feet on the desk, and the bottle in her hand. She had stopped bothering with the glass after the first few drinks._

_"Mellie." Fitz mumbled, walking toward her and taking the bottle from her hand. She pouted, reaching for it like a child. "It's 2am. You need to put down the bottle and come to bed."_

_The brunette giggled and stood up, stumbling over to Fitz. "You're drunk, Mellie." He told her, catching her as she fell into his strong arms._

_"Am not." Mellie grinned, standing up and running her hand through his dark curly hair. "Fitz." She mumbled, running her hand down his chest. _

_And they had sex. They had sex, and for the next 20 minutes, she wasn't thinking about Vermont or about Olivia or about their broken marriage. She was thinking about her husband, her sober and completely aware husband, holding her in his arms and taking care of her in a way that he hadn't taken care of her in years, with romance, and not obligation._

**_Present:_**

"The fire was intentional, sir." Cyrus told Fitz a few hours later, after the investigators had finished investigating the fire. Fitz sighed. That added to his theory of Mellie having something to do with the fire. He thought about it, thinking about all of the possibilities, trying to convince himself that she had nothing to do with it. His thoughts however were interrupted when, speaking of the devil, his wife walked into the Oval, picking up their daughter, who was sleeping on the floor.

"Hi, sweetheart. Did you have fun with daddy?" She asked, kissing the baby's head and looking at Fitz. "Hi, honey. How were the kids? I'm sorry that I left you alone with all 3 of them, but this just wasn't avoidable."

Fitz nodded, glancing up at his wife. "They were good." He said simply, which sparked Mellie's curiosity. Why was he giving her short answers? Usually he'd go on into detail about every little thing that him and the kids did and every facial expression and noise that the twins had made.

"What's wrong, honey?" Mellie asked, frowning as he looked at her husband.

He shook his head, not wanting to tell her what the problem was. If she didn't know, she didn't need to know. And now the proof was gone, so she'd never need to know. But he should probably tell her. He didn't need to keep secrets from her, especially ones that could bite him in the ass eventually. "Mels…I need to tell you something."

She raised an eyebrow, sitting down on the couch and resting Bellamy in her lap. "What is it, honey?"

"You have to promise not to freak out…" He frowned, looking at her. He reached for the scotch, pouring a glass and downing it before opening his mouth again. He definitely needed some liquid courage for his. "You have to let me finish before you freak out."

Mellie nodded, not saying a word. She knew what he was about to tell her. She couldn't believe that he was actually about to tell her. "A while ago..I had a house built for me and Olivia. A house in Vermont. When I thought that we were going to be together, when I was going to divorce you and have a family with Olivia, I had a house built for us and for our family." He sighed, taking a deep breath. "But when we started fixing our marriage, I told Liv to take the house. I told her to take it and I gave her the papers and I haven't looked back since. Until today..Cy told me that the house was intentionally burned down last night."

She listened to him, nodding as he spoke. "I know." Was all she said and Fitz just raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean you know?"

"I mean I know, Fitz. I know about Vermont. I've known about Vermont."

"How have you-How did you find out?"

"I have my ways, Fitz." She told him, looking at him, her facial expression unchanged.

Even more reason for him to think that she was the one that set fire to him and Olivia's 'love shack'. "Mellie, let me ask you something." She nodded. He had all the reason to ask her this. She was vindictive. She was evil. He loved her to the moon and back but he knew how she could be when she wanted revenge. He knew how she could be when she felt betrayed.

**"Did you set the house on fire?"**


	11. Chapter 11

"Fitz." Mellie looked shocked, completely bewildered at the thought that Fitz actually believed that she would do something like that, something that horrible. "I was pissed when I found out. Absolutely hurt. I had all plans to completely give up on our marriage that night. But something happened. Something profoundly miraculous. You held me in your arms and you kissed me and you whispered, "It's you and me", and for once, I actually believed you. And for once, you followed through. You changed. We changed. We worked things out. Do you honestly think that I would risk what I have tried so hard to get back?" She let out a sigh, looking up at her husband. "Do you honestly believe that I would risk ruining the amazing family that we have right now, with each other and with our beautiful boy and our amazing twins? Fitz, I didn't do it. And I cannot believe that you would possibly suggest that I did."

Fitz took a deep breath, looking at his wife. Seeing how hurt, and disappointed she was told him that there was no way she did it. Yes, she was a fantastic liar, but she didn't do it. If she had, Mellie would've admitted it with a smirk, proud that she had done yet another thing to keep her husband from his ex-mistress. She wouldn't allow someone else to have the credit of doing such a thing. It wasn't Mellie's doing. "Mels." Fitz mumbled, looking at his wife and taking a deep breath. "Honey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you of that. I jumped to conclusions. I should've known that you wouldn't do something like that." But she still looked upset. Which was completely understandable. You can't accuse your wife of something like that and expect everything to be okay by just saying that you jumped to conclusions and you were sorry. This wasn't something that Mellie was just going to get over.

"It's okay.." Mellie whispered after a few seconds, sinking down into the couch and looking over at Fitz. She reached over and picked up a glass and the bottle of scotch from the table next to her and poured herself a glass, drinking it down in one large gulp. She swallowed hard, closing her eyes for a second before looking up at Fitz. "I understand. It makes sense why you would jump to those conclusions. I was gone, and all of a sudden your love shack burst into flames. It makes sense, Fitz."

He sighed, shaking his head slightly as he poured his some scotch of his own. He raised an eyebrow as he watched Mellie pour a second glass. She never drank scotch. She was a hooch kind of girl. The woman must've really needed some alcohol to have settled for scotch, especially two glasses of it. "It was wrong of me, Mellie. I shouldn't have suggested it. I wasn't thinking clearly. Baby, I'm sorry.." He stood up and walked over to the couch, letting out a small sigh as he looked down at the woman below him. Her dark hair was curled, she was in a long sleeved blue collared button-up shirt that showed off her curves, and a black skirt that was riding up her thighs due to the way she was sitting. Their baby girl was sleeping next to her on the couch, swaddled up into her pink blanket with her thumb in her mouth. Fitz bent down slightly and kissed the top of Mellie's head, running his fingers through her soft hair. "Baby, I am so sorry."

Mellie just nodded, holding out her arms as a gesture for him to come closer to her. Of course, it hurt her to an extreme extent that he would possibly suggest that she would do a terrible thing like that, that she was such a bad person that she would set fire to the home that he had built for him and his mistress. Yes, that killed her. That hurt her so badly. But the night she found out was the same night that he had come back to her, that he had completely began to dedicate himself to their marriage once again. Until now, she had pretty much forgotten about Vermont. Of course, there were the occasional thoughts, whether he still went there, whether he still had thoughts about Olivia or if he was still with her behind her back. But those thoughts were quickly tamped down. She knew that he loved her, that he was in this for good this time. Especially now that they had the twins.

Fitz moved closer to her and Mellie wrapped her arms around his upper legs and pulled his body closer to hers. "It's okay, Fitz. I mean it. Don't worry." She looked up at him and he leaned down closer to her, softly kissing her lips. It was gentle, an apology kiss. Nothing more. He pulled away and she looked at him, her hands softly rubbing his bottom. "What do you say we put Bells to bed and head upstairs to bed?"

Fitz nodded and Mellie unwrapped her arms, watching as Fitz picked up their baby girl, rocking her softly. "Shh. Don't worry, daddy's got you. I'm just taking you upstairs so you can sleep in your own bed." He kissed the top of the baby's soft head and walked with Mellie up to the residence. She kissed the infant before kissing Fitz. "I'll meet you in the bedroom?" He questioned and she just nodded, cooing at their baby girl for a second before heading to their room.

When Fitz walked in, Mellie was curled up in a pair of Fitz's boxers and a black lace tank top. Under their large comforter, you could barely see that her arm was wrapped around a tiny body, who's head was poking out from under the blanket. Fitz smiled to himself, stripping down to his boxers before climbing into bed, wrapping his arm around his wife and pulling her close to him. "He was in here when I came in. He looked so comfy, I just couldn't move him." The toddler was curled up into his mother, his tiny arms pushed up against Mellie and his head rested against her chest. "And the second I got into bed, he rolled over and moved closer to me."

"He likes having his mom, Mels."

She knew exactly what he meant. For the first year and a few months of his life, she was distant toward him. He was America's Baby, not hers and Fitz's. Nobody likes babies. He was a political pawn, not a child. Not her child. She pawned him off on Marta the nanny and barely ever spent any time with him, unless required to for a photoshoot or an interview. That poor baby. She loved him to pieces but she didn't have the mom gene. She didn't want to be around Teddy. She didn't want to be reminded that he was made out of obligation, out of an obligation to the country. She didn't want to be reminded that the night he was conceived was the first time that Fitz had touched her since before he was elected president, and that it took everything he had to be able to get an erection for her. Seeing Teddy reminded her of that and she felt terrible for once again being distant toward one of her children, but she couldn't help it. He just brought her so much pain.

And it wasn't his fault. He couldn't help it. He didn't have a clue what was going on, or why he saw his nanny more than he saw mommy. He didn't know why when he was in mommy's arms and he cried, she'd quickly hand him off. He didn't know why mommy wouldn't play with him or why the only time that he saw her, cameras were flashing, but he didn't care. The time that he got to spend with Mellie was good enough for him. In Teddy's mind, it was normal. It was normal to see Mellie once a day for about 10 minutes. And when Mellie finally realized how much she had hurt her son, after her eldest had died tragically, she pledged to change that, to change the fact that he thought normalcy was barely seeing his mother and being raised by a nanny.

"I know.." Was all that she could manage to say, in a soft whisper as she watched their sweet baby boy sleep in her arms. She took a deep breath, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Mels, I didn't mean it like that." Fitz sighed, shaking his head slightly as he rubbed her bare shoulder.

She nodded, sinking her the side of her face further into her feathered pillow. "He needed me..the time of his life where he really needed his mother, I wasn't there for him and I let him down. I let him think that it was normal for Marta to raise him and for him to never see me. I was a terrible mother to him."

"Don't say that. Don't you ever say that." Fitz told her, rubbing his wife's back. "You are a great mother."

Mellie shook her head. "I could have done more. I could have given him more." She was more talking about Jerry now, and Fitz knew that.

"You're making up for it now. You have a second chance and you're taking it." He kissed the side of her head

She just nodded, closing her eyes for a second. "Part of me...I don't regret them. I could never regret them, but I just wish we could've had the twins sooner, given Teddy more time to be the baby, to have more time to be my top priority. He didn't even have nine months before I was in the hospital for the last third of my pregnancy." She sighed and ran her hand through the toddler's soft dark hair.

"That's why." Fitz said, finally realizing something. "That's why you always have him on your hip when you come in and see the twins, or whenever you're doing just about anything." He rubbed her back, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder. God, she smelled good. "I'm not trying to make it sound bad. I love it. I love seeing you be a mother to our son, to our babies. I love seeing you spend so much time with Teddy, and God knows he's ecstatic about it as well." Fitz glanced at their boy, who was beyond content curled up close to his mother, nice and cozy against her. "I honestly thought we'd pay more attention to the babies when they were born, that we'd make Teddy feel jealous of them. But you've made sure that he didn't feel that way and I'm more than proud of you for that." He kissed his neck, rubbing her side. "I'm so proud of you for so many things, Mels. If only you knew."

She leaned back into him, relaxing as she listened to him speak. "If only you knew how absolutely proud you make me, every single day, to be able to call you my wife."

And she fell asleep, a smile on her face, thinking of the sweet words that he had said to her. In the past year, those sweet words, different ones every time, had been said to her much more frequently, and each time Fitz had expressed them to her, they showed her how much he really did love her. She was so absolutely grateful to be able to have moments like that again, to be able to listen to him talk about her like that. A year ago, he said nothing but hateful things to her. She hated thinking about that, but she did like seeing how far they have come in the last fifteen, sixteen years, mostly in the last year. Like he was proud of her, she was proud of the both of them. She was so amazingly proud.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Sorry for not updating in FOREVER. But I'm back and should be updating more regularly again. :) Beginning part is smut, but afterwards it gets into some drama. You're welcome :) Reviews are appreciated!_

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><p>Fitz rolled over, groaning slightly as he looked over at the other side of the bed. He sighed to himself when he noticed that Mellie was sleeping so peacefully, so beautifully, next to him. Her hand was rested on top of his manhood, which was growing by the second, and she had been moaning in her sleep for the past twenty minutes. "Mels..." He whispered, gently shaking her arm. He didn't want to wake her up but he felt the need to. He knew he couldn't handle this himself. "Baby, wake up." He whispered again, and Mellie opened her eyes, letting out a soft sigh as she looked at him.<p>

"What is it, baby?" She glanced at the clock for a second before looking back up at Fitz. "Fitz, it's 3 in the morning." Mellie stated, as if he wasn't aware of the time. God, she was going to kill him.

"I, um, Mels...Can you help me?" He looked down and took a deep breath before looking at his wife. "I need you...Really bad." He didn't want to ask her for this, he felt terrible for asking her this, but he knew that jacking off by himself wouldn't do him any good. He had woken up to his wife moaning next to him, and her hand gripping his member through his boxers, and she didn't do that unless she was having wet dreams. Thinking about what Mellie was dreaming of was what made him hard to the point that he couldn't get back to sleep. Nice going, Fitzgerald.

Mellie let out a quiet sigh and nodded, sitting up. "Yeah..." She told him, trying to hide the fact that she had just been dreaming about having hot sex with him. Part of her wondered if this was still her dream, but she brushed it off before pulling him into her arms and pressing her lips against his, hard. The kiss was passionate, heated, much unlike a 3am obligation. It wasn't long before Fitz had removed her tank top and panties, not being the least bit gentle as he ripped off the delicate fabric. "Fitz..." Mellie groaned, frowning as she heard them rip, but Fitz paid no mind to her as he crushed his lips into hers once more, his tongue quickly finding it's way into her hot mouth.

Fitz reached down and removed his own boxers before slipping his hand in between Mellie's legs, smirking as he found his way through the warm abyss, and to her most sensitive spot. He rubbed her with his middle finger, grinning as she squirmed under him, soft noises escaping her mouth. "Mhm, Fitz." Mellie moaned and he slipped his middle finger inside of her, his thumb continuing to tease her as more noises came from her lips. She wrapped her leg around him, holding him in place as she dug her nails into his shoulders. He continued to rub her, his finger slightly curved up toward her belly, and push his fingers in and out of her, suddenly stopping as he felt her clench up around him. "Fitz!" Mellie yelled, her eyes immediately shooting open as she looked down at him.

He just smirked up at her and she pouted as he moved up and hovered over her, taking his manhood into his hand and entered her. He didn't have time or patience to tease her right now, he wanted and needed this badly. And after what he just did to her, he knew that Mellie did as well. Her hands immediately shot up and gripped his waist and her legs wrapped around him, pulling him close to her. She needed to feel him deep, deep, inside of her. She let out a moan, as did he, and he began moving inside of her roughly.

Fitz leaned down and kissed her lips, his tongue pushing into her mouth as his hands found themselves tangled in her dark hair. He moved faster, ramming himself inside of her and sighing to himself as he felt himself get closer. He didn't want this to end, not already, but at this point, he really didn't have a choice. But, he should really warn Mellie. "Mels." He whispered, in between kisses. "I'm close."

"Me...too." Mellie responded after a few seconds, lifting her hips and arching her back to meet his movements. "Oh God, baby." She moaned, shutting her eyes tight as she moved faster, coming after a few more seconds. Fitz came with her, moaning her name loudly as he shot his load deep inside of her. They rode out their climaxes, Fitz pulling out of her slowly and collapsing on the bed next to her. He glanced over at her and down at her legs, looking at the juices that were dripping down her thighs and onto the sheets. Just the sight of that made him hard again.

He looked at her, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Only if you do me a favor first." Mellie told him, spreading her legs wide. Fitz licked his lips and moved back down the bed, disappearing in between his wife's perfect legs.

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><p>She's sitting in her office, looking down at a file when she hears her cell phone go off. She looks up at the top of the desk, where it's sitting, and grabs it when she sees Fitz's name and face on the screen. "What, baby?" She asks as she answers it, and she immediately knows that something isn't right. He's breathing heavily and she hears screaming in the background. She wonders for a second if he meant to call her, until she hears his voice on the other end of the line.<p>

"It's B...He's having a seizure." Mellie feels her heart drop as he says that, and she waits for him to continue. "I'm taking him to the hospital...Go calm Teddy down and then come as soon as you can. I love you and I'll update you as soon as I can." Click. It doesn't seem real. It doesn't seem like he actually just said those words. She looks at the wall for a second before she gathers herself, standing up quickly, ignoring the dizzy feeling and running out of her office, running through the office to look for Teddy.

Once she finds him, panicking in the nursery and sitting on the floor next to Bellamy, she pulls the little boy into her arms, kissing his head. "Shh...Benny's okay. It'll be okay." She whispered, sighing as she rubbed the little boy's back. "Mommy's gonna go to the hospital to see her, and Marta will watch you and sissy, okay?" But Teddy immediately shook his head, crying as he objected to her idea.

"No!" He shouts, gripping Mellie even tighter than he already had been. "Me goes with you!" Teddy tells her and Mellie sighs, nodding as she stood up with him in her arms.

"Okay, okay." She tells him, not wanting to argue with him at the moment. She needed to hurry. "Let mommy put sissy in her crib and then we will go." She sets Teddy down for a moment and he whines, reaching up for her to hold him again. "Teddy, chill." Mellie tells him as she picks up Bellamy and holds her close, kissing her head and putting her into her crib. "I love you, princess." She tells the infant as she picks Teddy up one more time and runs as fast as a woman in 4 inch heels, with a toddler in her arms, possibly can, rushing down to the car so she can go to the hospital and see what's wrong with her baby boy.


	13. Chapter 13

Mellie's in Fitz's arms, sitting in his lap in the waiting room. She didn't give a damn about the looks she was getting right now, she really needed her husband. She needed to be held right now, in the midst of everything that was going on with their baby boy. They didn't want them in the room while they checked him out, since Mellie was panicking and was in extreme mommy mode. The doctors couldn't do their jobs with Mellie screaming in their ears, so it was decided that having the two of them wait in the waiting room, was the best idea.

"Mels..." Fitz whispered, sighing quietly as he rubbed down her back. He brushed her skirt down, making sure that her ass was covered. They didn't need pictures of her ass splattered across the Times in the morning. "It's gonna be okay." He told her, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head. Mellie nodded slowly, resting her head against his shoulder. She hadn't said a word since she had showed up at the hospital. Teddy was sleeping in a chair next to them, his arm around his stuffed lion, and his other hand gripping Mellie's hand.

Fitz held Mellie, sighing as he realized how absolutely weak she was. It was a little over a year ago that they were in this same position, when Jerry died, but Fitz hadn't been there for her while they were at the hospital, only once they gotten home. But only once. Only that one time after they got home did he comfort her like he should have, like he should have as her lover, her husband, and the father of their dead child. He should have been there for her, but he wasn't. He was so caught up in himself after not only losing Jerry, but also losing Olivia, that he didn't pay attention to Mellie the way that he should have. And like he felt bad about so many things, he felt bad about that.

He kissed her head once more, realizing after a while that she had fallen asleep in his arms. He continued to rub her back, looking up once a doctor walked over to them. He didn't move, not wanting to wake Mellie, but let the doctor know that he was listening by nodding slightly. "Your son is fine, Mr. President. He just had a very high fever, which is what spiked his seizure. I would like to keep him here for the evening, but as long as things go well, you and Mrs. Grant can take him home in the morning."

"Thank you." Fitz whispered, smiling up at the doctor. "I really appreciate it. We both do. I'm sure if Mellie was awake, she'd be thanking you too."

"You two can go in the room with him whenever you would like to." He told him, nodding.

Fitz nodded slowly, not wanting to wake up his precious wife. "We'll go when she wakes up. Thank you." He told him, watching as the doctor walked away. He held Mellie until she woke up a few hours later, looking around for a second before looking up at her husband. "Hi, beautiful." Fitz whispered, gently rubbing her lower back. "B's fine. He just had a fever. They're keeping him here for the night, and we can take him home in the morning if everything goes okay tonight."

"Can we go see him?" She asked quietly, clearly not still completely awake. Fitz just nodded and she carefully climbed off of his lap and picked up the sleeping toddler, making sure she picked up his blanket and lion as well. Mellie looked up at Fitz, who led the way to Ben's room. They walked in silence and sat in the chairs surrounding the crib that they had their little boy in. The infant was sleeping soundly, his breathing slow, but at a normal pace. Mellie looked at him and smiled softly, blowing him a kiss. She rested Teddy in her lap and gently rocked him to ensure that he stayed asleep.

They say and watched Ben continuously for the next twelve hours, until his doctor came in and told them that they could take him home. Teddy was playing at Mellie's feet, and the second he heard anything about leaving, he immediately climbed into her lap and held onto her for dear life. He gripped her shoulders and whined quietly and Mellie just laughed, standing up and holding the little boy against her. "I guess daddy has to carry Benny."

Fitz smiled and took the baby into his arms, laughing as the little boy tugged at his hair, and was clearly returned to his normal, happy self. He carried him out of the hospital, following Mellie to the car and watching her play with Teddy as they rode back to the house.

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><p>"Teddy's getting really clingy, Mel..." Fitz sighed, looking at his wife and his son, who was sleeping directly on top of Mellie, his head nuzzled in between her breasts. "He's never away from you anymore. Which isn't really a problem, I just mean, you can barely spend time with Bellie and Ben because Teddy is always on your hip."<p>

"Fitz, don't complain. It's fine." She rubbed Teddy's back, looking down at the little boy, who was sleeping ever so calmly in nothing but his diaper. "I get to spend time with the twins all the time. I'm the one who gets up and feeds them every three hours, remember? They're not neglected by me in any way possible."

Fitz sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not saying they're neglected, Mel." He frowned and walked into the closet, looking for pajamas to change into. "I'm just saying that maybe Teddy doesn't have to be on you like a leech every minute of every day."

"Fitzgerald, you did not just call our son a leech."

He walked out of the closet in a pair of plaid pajama pants and shook his head. "Mellie, I didn't mean it like that..."

She sighed. "Then how did you mean it, Fitz? You just called our baby boy a parasite." She kept her eyes locked on Teddy, holding him close as Fitz tried to think of a way to get out of the mess he was in. He just grabbed his pillow and sighed, frowning as he looked at her.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it. I'm going to sleep in Jerry's room." He put the pillow under his arm and sighed, kissing Mellie's forehead before kissing Teddy's cheek. "Goodnight. I love you both."

He walked out and Mellie just frowned, looking at the wall. She moved Teddy to the spot next to her and wrapped her arm around him, closing her eyes and attempting to fall asleep. This was definitely not the way that she had wanted to end the night.


	14. Chapter 14

Sleep for both of them is restless. The night drags on for what seems like days. Fitz is alone in Jerry's cold room, hugging one of his pillows and holding it close to him. He's not thinking about the fact that he's lying in his dead son's bed. In fact, the thought never once occurs to him. However, what he is thinking about, is the fact that this is the first night he's slept without Mellie in over a year. It's the first time that they've really fought since before Jerry had died. So he lays there, thinking and trying his hardest to get to sleep, which he knows is to absolutely no avail.

Mellie's night isn't much better. Of course, she at least has a snuggle buddy, who is sleeping as close as he possibly can to her. He's been so close to Mellie recently, Fitz was right. But she wasn't going to tell him he couldn't be. He was just a child, only a little over two years old, and being attached to his mother, especially after she had just had twins, wasn't that uncommon. Especially considering that most of the first year of his life, Mellie hadn't been there for him. So she tried to be there for him as much as she could be now. Either way, she can't sleep. She tries for hours, but when she looks over at the clock and sees that it's half past 3 in the morning, she slips out of bed, careful not to wake Teddy, and walks down the hallway into Jerry's room.

She's only in her panties and one of Fitz's shirts, but at this time, there's nobody in the hallway that she's worried about seeing her. She walks into Jerry's room and lies down next to Fitz, who luckily, had managed to get to sleep. Mellie pulls him into her arms, holding him close as she lays with his back to her chest and stomach, and she gently rubs his shoulder. "I'm sorry..." She whispered, knowing that he couldn't hear her. She just felt the need to say it. She knew that he didn't mean what he had said earlier in a bad way, it had just hit her that way. Her motherly instincts had become so apparent lately and hearing her husband call their son a leech had just set her off.

He felt her arm around him and he woke up from his light sleep, hearing her apologize to him. Why she was apologizing was beyond him, but he wasn't going to get into that at the moment. "It's okay." He whispered back, which surprised Mellie, who had thought that he had been sleeping. He turned to face her and looked into her eyes as best as he could in the dark. "I'm sorry too." Fitz told her, rolling over and wrapping his arms around her tiny body. He brushed her dark hair out of her face and softly kissed her lips, pulling away after a few seconds.

"Are you wearing pants?" He asked, entangling their legs as he kissed her once more, this time with more intensity and passion.

Mellie giggled, shaking her head and kissing him back before responding. "No. Does it matter?" She asked, her hands toying at the hem of his shirt, hinting that she wants to do a little making up.

"Of course not." He responds, reaching down and slipping his hand into her lace panties. She shudders slightly, his hand cold as his fingers find their way in between her legs. He starts to rub her and her body immediately jerks, moans escaping her lips. "Tell me what you want, Mel." Fitz tells her, his fingers working their magic on her clit.

She stays silent, shaking her head slightly as she lifts her hips off of the bed. "Not here, Fitz. We can't do it here." She tells him, and he suddenly realizes where they are. It nearly ruins the moment, but he refuses to let it and instead nods and gets up, picking her up. "Teddy's still in our room." Mellie mumbled, letting him know that they couldn't go there, and obviously Fitz has other plans for them as he carries her down the hallway. His hands are gripping her ass and his lips are on hers, grinning as he pushes open the door to one of the many bedrooms and immediately slams her up against the wall. Her tongue is in his mouth within seconds and he's already ripping off her panties, tossing the torn fabric onto the floor.

Fitz wastes no time in getting Mellie on her back on the bed, and he takes off his boxers, climbing on the bed and crawling closer to her. Her legs are spread wide and he's staring at him hungrily. He has the same look on his face, but he's not staring at her, he's staring at the glistening oasis between her thighs. "No." Mellie tells him and he immediately looks up at her, dumbstruck. She pushes him off of her and slams him down onto the bed, smirking at him as she moves down his body, hovering over him. "We're gonna play a game. You can't touch me. If you touch me, I'll pull away and I won't let you finish."

He pouted and Mellie just giggled, taking his manhood into her hand and slowly moving her grip up and down. Fitz moaned, putting his arms under his head so that he wouldn't be tempted to touch her. One, he hated losing, and two, there was no way that he could stand her just stopping and leaving him hanging. He was determined to win this dirty little game that they had going on here. A few seconds later, she took him into her mouth, grinning as she heard the sounds of pleasure escape from her husband's mouth. He was loud, and she loved that oh, so much. She bobbed her head up and down and ran her tongue seductively over his head, just waiting to feel him touch her. But she never did.

She could tell he was close to his release, as his breathing got heavier and his moans got closer together. She continued at a quick pace and before she knew it, his hot load shot into her mouth and she swallowed, her tongue cleaning him up. Mellie giggled as she crawled back up his body, and he gripped her waist and flipped them over so that she was on the bottom now. "Your turn." He whispered as he wasted no time finding his way in between her legs. Spreading them wide, he leaned in closer to her and buried his face in between her thighs, his tongue lapping at her wetness.

"Ohh, Fitz..." Mellie moaned, closing her eyes tight and starting to squirm underneath him. She already had the urge to reach down and hold his head in place and push the back of his head so that he was closer to her. But she knew she couldn't. This feeling was already so great, so intense, and she couldn't possibly do anything to risk it. "Oh, baby, right there." She whispered as he began to suck on her clit, slipping a finger inside of her. He adds another after a few seconds, and she's wrapping her legs around him, surrounding his head with her thighs. He's skillfully moving his fingers and tongue, smirking as he hears his wife babbling absolute nonsense above him. Mellie lifts her hips up again, moaning loudly as she starts to get closer, her entire body beginning to shake. Fitz hooks his fingers inside of her, tapping her g-spot, and immediately, she's sent over the edge.

Fitz pulls away from her, his face covered in fluid, and he looks down at the huge wet spot underneath her. "Mels, did you just...?"

She sits up slightly, taking a few seconds to catch her breath before answering him. "Squirt?" She asks, nodding her head. "Yeah. I did."

"You won't say 'fuck me' because you're too much of a lady for it, but you just said squirt like it's been in your vocabulary for years?" He raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever done that before?"

Mellie nodded, taking in a deep breath before looking down at him. "Twice. Once alone, once with Andrew." She told him, and she immediately regrets it. That probably ruined the moment for him.

But he just brushes it off and pretends he didn't hear her say that. He nodded and climbed on top of her, taking his manhood into his hand and guiding it into her very lubricated opening. Mellie moans, loudly, and he starts to thrust in and out of her, not holding back one bit. He moves hard and fast inside and her, and the noises she's making are making it difficult to last very long. Her nails are digging into his back and she's leaving the biggest marks on his neck, something that neither of them really realize that she's doing. "Oh, Mels." Fitz whispers, groaning loudly as he slams into her, feeling her beginning to tighten around him. It's not long before she's reaching her second orgasm, and the piercing scream that she just let out guarantees that there's no doubt that everyone in the house now knows what they're doing. He comes shortly after her, shooting his seed deep inside of her core. After they both ride out their climaxes, he flips them over once more, so she's on top of him, and they just lie there, covered in their own sweat.

She lays her head on his chest and lets out a happy sigh, closing her eyes. "Make up sex is the best." Mellie whispered and Fitz nodded, kissing the top of her head, and wrapping his arms around her naked body.

"It is, isn't it?" He grinned and closed his eyes, holding her close to him as they both fell into a deep sleep, worn out from the long romantic session that they had just been involved in.


	15. Chapter 15

"Don't even start, Andrew." They're standing in the hallway, and Mellie has Teddy on one hip, and Bellamy on the other. She's got an irritated look on her face, mainly because she hasn't slept in two days and she wants to get her sick and cranky children to bed. Also, because Andrew is bothering her with his bullshit about how they should've ended up together and how the twins should've been his and how she was dumb to have allowed herself to go back to him. He moved closer to her and Mellie used her elbow to push him away from her. "Andrew, you're drunk." She stated, looking down at Teddy, who was falling asleep with his head on his mother's shoulder.

"Maybe." Andrew responded, not bothering to move away from her. He continued to stare at her, convincing himself that if she didn't have her children in her arms, he would've made a move on her right then and there. But unfortunately, he wasn't the type of person to seduce a woman with two babies in her arms. So he just left it alone.

He thanked his higher power for making that decision, even drunk, because before he knew it, Fitz was strolling down the hallway and walking over to them. "Oh, am I interrupting something?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow at Andrew. He immediately shook his head and walked away, leaving Fitz staring at Mellie in confusion. "What was that about?"

"He was drunk. And was trying to bitch at me for getting back with you. Even though when we decided that it was time to fix our marriage, Andrew and I weren't even speaking." She sighed, looking down at the children in her arms. "Sorry, Teddy. Don't repeat that." Mellie rubbed the little boy's back, frowning and looking up at Fitz.

Fitz sucked in a breath, looking down at his hands. "I guess it's not a very good time to tell you the news then." He mumbled, very quietly in hopes that Mellie wouldn't hear him. Unfortunately, for him, she did hear him and raised an eyebrow, wanting him to continue. "Olivia's back."

"She…She's back?" Mellie asked, nearly dropping her children when she finally comprehended what he had said. No way. She couldn't possibly believe that finally, once she had got her marriage back in order, once she had finally worked things out with Fitz, that Olivia chose to come back. Not that she knew. Not that she was aware of how Mellie and Fitz's relationship had been progressing, but still, it angered her. "What does that…What does that mean, Fitz?"

Fitz raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean what does that mean, Mellie?"

"Don't play stupid…You know exactly what I mean." Mellie sighed, taking a deep breath and looking at Teddy. "You would've never attempted to fix our marriage if Olivia hadn't disappeared. I don't know where we would be if she would've stayed, but we wouldn't be where we are now and you know that."

He did know that. He knew damn well that Mellie was right, but he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want Mellie to know that he believed it. But he sucked it up and nodded, taking a deep breath. "I guess you're right." He mumbled, looking down at his feet. "You're right. But it means nothing now. I'm with you. We're together. Our marriage is stronger than ever, we have three beautiful babies, and a daughter that wants nothing to do with us, but we have all that we could ever need. We're better. And Olivia can't break us apart, Mels. I promise you that."

"I need to see it to believe it, Fitz…" Mellie whispered, worry in her voice. He understood exactly why she was worried. Olivia was a threat to her. She always had been a threat to her. It was completely understandable why Mellie was worried now that she was back. They had finally told all of their secrets and had pieced back together what used to be their sham of a marriage, and now, what had completely severed them apart after they were hanging by a thread, was back. And he admitted, he did still love her. He would always love her. But not with the intensity and the fire that he used to. Not as much as he loved his wife. The fire that they had had burned out when she left and when him and Mellie's son had died, and she had finally opened up about the rape. Sure, things could have gone differently if Olivia had stayed. But she hadn't. And things overall worked for the best.

"I don't know how you want me to prove it to you, baby." Fitz told her, sighing as he pulled Bellamy into his arms. "Hey, baby girl." He kissed the top of her head before looking back up at Mellie. "I'm not going to see her. She's not coming here, she's not coming near us or our family. I won't allow it."

Mellie shook her head. "No. Let her come here. I know you're dying to hear why she left and you're dying to talk to her." She sighed, readjusting Teddy on her hip once the younger baby was taken from her arms. "I trust you, Fitz. I don't exactly trust her. Never have. But that doesn't matter. I trust you. And I trust that you'll use your head, the one attached to your shoulders, just to be clear. I trust that you'll make the right decision when it comes to her and that you realize who has been by your side 110% and has never once left you."

"I'm not making a decision, Mellie." He moved closer to her, carefully pulling her into his arms. "You can trust me. You know that. If she comes here, I'm only going to talk to her. There will be no decisions being made and no rekindling of anything that we had in the past. I love you, Mellie. I. Love. You. More than anything in the entire world. And I'm not going to put our marriage at risk again. I've done it once and I can't do it again. I've hurt you once and I cannot possibly hurt you again, or hurt our babies. I already lost two children because of my choices, mentally and physically." He sighed. "We will only talk."

He held her close, gently rubbing her back with the free hand he had. Fitz leaned in to kiss her, but Teddy interfered, putting his hand between his parents' faces. "No kisses. Yucky." He said with a serious face, and Mellie and Fitz just laughed, the two of them kissing both of his cheeks as the toddler struggled to get away.


	16. Chapter 16

Fitz waited in the Oval, checking the time as he glanced over at Bellamy and Ben, who were playing on a blanket on the floor. He was waiting for Olivia, and then once they were done speaking, him and Mellie had to finish getting packed for the trip they were taking for Teddy's birthday. He had purposely had the 6 month old babies brought to him, so that he could passively brag to Olivia about how well him and Mellie were doing. When Lauren announced that Olivia was there, Fitz told her to allow her to come in, and he got up, walking over to where the babies were playing, and sat down next to them, pulling Bellamy into his arms. The baby giggled and Fitz tickled her belly, looking up once he saw Olivia walk in.

"Hi." Olivia whispered, walking over toward him.

Fitz set Bells in his lap, nodding. "Hello."

"Is this…Did you and Mellie-?" She sat down on the couch, looking down at Fitz and the two babies.

He nodded. "We did. Bellamy and Ben. 6 months ago." He was giving her short sentences, because he was irritated. He was angry. He shouldn't be, because he was doing better with Mellie and he shouldn't care about why Olivia left, but he was still angry. She had left him at the worst time possible. And he could never forgive her for that, not that he had any obligation to.

"They're beautiful…" Liv whispered, biting her lip. "May I?" She asked, nodding down at Ben. Fitz nodded slowly and she picked him up. "Hi, sweetie." She held the infant and Fitz looked at her, his heart aching slightly when he noticed a ring on her finger.

"Did you, uh, you and Jake…?" Fitz asked and Olivia knew exactly what he was talking about.

She just nodded, closing her eyes for a second before looking back at the baby. "We did. About 7 months ago." Olivia told him, frowning slightly as she gently bounced Ben on her leg. "So…Fill me in on what's happened since I've been gone."

Fitz just shook his head. It was obvious that she was trying to avoid this, that she was trying to avoid explaining, but he knew better. He didn't invite her here for the small talk, he invited her here to hear all about why she had left, why she had ditched him when he was most vulnerable and when he needed her most. Of course, he was glad that she had left him, because if she hadn't, he wouldn't have fixed things with Mellie. But he still wanted to know. "Olivia." She was disappointed that he hadn't called her 'Liv' or 'Livvie', but she understood why. "Why'd you leave?"

"Fitz…" She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "You needed a break. You needed to be away from me. And I knew you weren't going to make that decision, so I made it for you. I was the reason your son was dead, I was the reason your marriage was dead. I was the reason for a lot of things. By taking me out of your life, you were so much better off. You had the chance to breathe, to live the life you needed to as president with Mellie and with your children. You could have the chance to take your second term and be the best president that you could possibly be, without having to worry about all of the scandals that came with our relationship." She took a deep breath. "I had to leave. I had to get away from you so you could move on. You would never have made the choice to do that if I was here. You would've still been making me promises you couldn't keep and talking about some home in Vermont that we could live in and raise a family in in a different life. You're better off now."

"I know I am." Fitz told her, rubbing Bellamy's back. He didn't say anything else, just waited for Olivia to continue.

"You have a life now. You have a happy life with your wife and your son and apparently with your twins. You can't get back the parts that I ruined, the death of your son or the 5 years of your marriage that you wasted because of me…But you can continue on with the happy life that you have with your boys and Mellie and your daughter." She frowned. "You should be happy that I left."

Fitz sighed. "I am, Olivia. Believe me, I am. I wouldn't have these two if you hadn't left." He frowned. "But I needed to know why you did. I needed to know why you left when I needed you most."

"You didn't need me, Fitz. You didn't need your mistress. You needed your wife."

"You were never my mistress, Livvie. You know that. But I did. And she needed me…"

Olivia nodded. "Exactly." She frowned, setting Ben back down on the ground. "I'm gonna go…Congratulations, Mr. President. Tell the First Lady I said the same. You two deserve happiness for the first time in a while."

"Thank you…Congratulations to you too, Ms. Pope…Or Mrs. Ballard, I suppose I should say." He gave her a small smile. "It was nice seeing you."

"It was nice seeing you too, President Grant." She stood up, smiling at him before walking toward the door and leaving the office. Fitz watched her leave, waiting a minute before looking at the twins.

He held Bellamy up, kissing her cheeks. "That's that, little one. That's the end of daddy's old life." He smiled at her. "Now let's go find mommy and your big brother and we'll finish packing for our trip." Fitz stood up, cleaning up the babies' toys before taking both of his children into his arms. He kissed them both before walking up to the residence and to him and Mellie's room, setting the twins down on the bed. Fitz walked into the closet and smiled when he saw Mellie.

"Hi, beautiful." He whispered, pulling her into his arms.

She giggled, kissing his lips softly. "Hi sweetheart." She smiled at him and pulled her face away, looking up at him. "How was your meeting with Olivia?"

Fitz shrugged. "It was okay. I found out what I needed to know. And I reassured some things."

Mellie raised an eyebrow. "You reassured some things? Such as?"

He kissed her again, this time the kiss longer, and more passionate. "Such as the fact that Olivia leaving was one of the best things that has ever happened to me."

She smiled at him. "Really?"

"Really. Now let's go get everything packed so we can go on our trip." He kissed her cheek, smiling as the two of them walked back into the bedroom to be distracted by the twins.


	17. Chapter 17

"Mom!" Mellie walked into the house, giggling as she took a deep breath, taking in the sweet, North Carolina air. God, she missed this. She hadn't been back in a while. It'd been years, actually. The last time they were here was probably when Karen and Jerry were still in diapers. Of course, she'd seen her parents, she just hadn't gone to Asheville, which was one of her biggest mistakes and regrets. She should never have let herself get so busy that she didn't have time to see her parents. Although in a way, she resented them for practically selling her to Big Jerry, they were still her parents and she still loved them more than nearly anything.

She had a sleeping Teddy in her arms, but he wasn't sleeping for long as Jane hugged her daughter tight before taking her grandson into her arms. "Mom, I just got him to-" Mellie tried to object, but she couldn't. The wide smile on her mother's face was too much for her. She enjoyed seeing her mother happy, and this was the first time in too long that she had seen that beautiful smile on her mom's face. Soon after, Fitz walked in with the twins, and Jane immediately starting obsessing over the two of them.

"Dinner's in the oven. Melody, why don't you let me take the babies and you and Fitz can go up, unpack, and settle for a little while?" She suggested as she tried to juggle all three children in her arms. "Your father's in town, he'll be back in a few. It'll be a wonderful surprise for him that you all are here." Jane smiled as a cranky Teddy reached for his mother, whining as he held his arms out toward her.

"Shh, Teddy Bear. It's okay, baby." Mellie ran her hand through the little boy's hand, ruffling it slightly. "This is Grandma, mommy's mom. You're okay with her. Me and daddy are going to go up and unpack our things and then we'll be back down, okay?" She kissed his forehead and he nodded slowly, still unsure of whether he really wanted to stay with Jane or not. "I love you."

Teddy nodded, taking his mother's hand and kissing the top of it. "I wuv you too, mommy." He told her, and Mellie's face lit up. She planted a kiss on Jane's cheek before going upstairs with Fitz and into her old bedroom. She looked around for a few minutes, noticing every little thing that has changed in the past 12 or 13 years since she had been here last. The couple walked into her old bedroom, setting their suitcases by the door. Mellie plopped down on the bed, yawning slightly as she buried her face in a pillow.

"I'm exhausted." She mumbled, her words muffled by the fluffy pillow that was suffocating her face. Fitz laughed slightly, shaking his head as he laid down next to her. He gently ran his hand down her back, pulling the pillow out from under her head.

She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow, and he just chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Let's not suffocate yourself. That would be bad. I can't take care of three children and a country by myself." This made Mellie laugh, and she just smiled, rolling over on her side and facing him.

"Sorry." She giggled, propping her head up with her arm. "I just have to stay up for a little while more and wait for my dad to get here. It won't be much of a surprise for him if he just sees the kids and we're sleeping." Fitz nodded, leaning in and kissing her deeply. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it was much longer than any of the kisses that he's been getting throughout the day. "What was that for?"

Fitz ran his hand through her hair, smiling at her. "Sorry. I've been wanting to do that all day, but Teddy won't let me kiss you." He chuckled and Mellie just shook her head. "The kid wants his mom all to himself. I don't blame him. His mom's kinda hot." Fitz grinned, kissing her forehead.

"I am, aren't I?" Mellie smirked, sitting up and sighing lightly. "Let's unpack real quick and then get back downstairs. I'm sure Teddy's having a fit without us down there." She stood up, walking over toward her suitcase and unzipping it, jumping slightly when she felt Fitz slap her ass. "Hey. Watch it." Mellie told him, shaking her head slightly as she unpacked her clothes, hanging them all up in her closet. Fitz did the same and then moved onto the twins' clothes, putting them in an empty one of Mellie's dresser drawers. Mellie finished up with her clothes and put Teddy's away, watching as Fitz went through her drawers. "Having fun?" She asked.

Fitz jumped slightly, looking at her, his cheeks bright red. "Maybe…" He whispered, quickly hiding his hand behind his back.

"Watcha got there?" Mellie asked, grinning as she reached for his hand. He moved away as fast as he could and Mellie just laughed. "Come on, let me see." She grabbed at his hand again and this time, he didn't pull away quick enough. "Really, Fitzgerald?" She questioned.

Fitz's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red as he dropped what was in his hand. It crashed loudly, which surprised Mellie. "You realize I was maybe 18 the last time I wore those?" She asked, glancing down at the floor. She picked up the lacy blue thong that Fitz had previously had, and dropped to her knees to see what had made the loud crash, since she knew it was most definitely not the panties. She looked under the dresser, and it was her turn to have the rosey-red cheeks. "I don't know where that came from." She swore and Fitz laughed loudly.

"I'm sure." He said sarcastically, watching as Mellie quickly grabbed what was under the dresser and shoved it into her suitcase. "Clearly the panties you wore didn't get you any, so you had to rely on _that_."

Mellie looked at him, her face immediately turning serious. "I thought I took it with me when I moved out. I didn't realize it was still here, okay?" Clearly, she was embarrassed, which was the exact opposite of what Fitz had meant to do.

"Mels. It's not even a big deal, baby." He took her hand and pulled her into his arms, kissing her cheek. "I was just kidding. It's normal. A lot of single woman have vibrators."

She shuddered, shaking her head. "Ew. Please don't say that word. That just sounds disgusting."

"Yes, baby." He kissed her forehead and pulled away from her. "We won't speak of it again." Fitz assured her, smiling at her. "Let's go downstairs and see how our babies are doing." He reached for her hand and she took it, giving him a small smile. She was pretty surprised at how calm he was at the situation, and awfully thankful that he hadn't drug it on. She was partly ashamed of it, and hadn't expected him to find it, so she wasn't exactly sure how to face the situation. But luckily, he hadn't reacted too badly, which was good news for her.

They walked downstairs, right as Mellie's father's headlights showed up in the window. Mellie grinned and Jane ushered her and Fitz into the kitchen, where Teddy and Ben were playing under the table. Jane told them to keep quiet as she took Bellamy into the foyer. Mellie and Fitz sat at the island in the kitchen, listening quietly so that they could hear Mellie's parents.

"Who's baby is that?" Terry asked, raising an eyebrow as he saw the infant in his wife's arms. "She looks an awful lot like Mel when she was a baby…" He admitted, it not quite hitting him as to why the baby in Jane's arms resembled his daughter so much. Jane didn't say anything, just carried the child into the kitchen, knowing that Terry would follow after her. As expected, he did, and he nearly dropped everything in his hands when he saw Mellie. "Mel!" He yelled, his eyes immediately filling up with tears as he ran over to her.

Mellie stood up, giggling as she walked over to him, throwing her arms around her father's neck. "Hi daddy." She grinned, kissing his cheek as he held onto her.

"Hi, baby." Terry smiled at her, looking over under the table. "Are these my other grandbabies?" He questioned and Mellie nodded. He looked at Fitz, saying hello to him and shaking his hand before going over to the babies and smiling at them. He got down on the ground, looking at Teddy. "Hi, Teddy Bear. I'm your Grandpa."

Teddy crawled over to him, smiling at him. "Hi." The boy said shyly, climbing into his lap. Terry laughed, smiling at the little boy and gently rubbing his back. Mellie was genuinely surprised at how nice Teddy was being already, as was Fitz. As Terry played with the kids, Mellie and Fitz talked to Jane, who took dinner out of the oven and made up a pitcher of sweet tea for everyone.

When dinner was ready, Mellie and Fitz gathered up the kids, and they got situated at the table, Terry saying grace before they all made plates. "Where's Karen?" Jane asked as Mellie fed some mashed potatoes to Bellamy.

Mellie sighed quietly, turning her attention away from her youngest daughter. "She's at school. We invited her, but she wants absolutely nothing to do with Fitz and I anymore, so we just let her be…We try to do our best and continue to involve her in things, but it never works as planned." Just another reminder of how she had failed as a mother.

Jane just nodded and as if she knew that Mellie was starting to get upset, Bellamy grabbed at her mother's hand and pulled it toward her messy face, planting a kiss on it, much like she had seen Teddy do before. She giggled and Mellie couldn't help but smile at her. "Thank you, baby." She ruffled the baby's blonde hair and kissed her cheek before wiping the mashed potatoes off of her hand.

They talked over dinner, and by the time everyone finished eating, Teddy was asleep in Terry's lap, and Ben was asleep in Fitz's. Bellamy was in her grandmother's arms, giggling away as the woman bounced the baby on her legs. "You should probably take them up and put them to bed, Mellie." Jane told her daughter, handing over the infant. Mellie took her and kissed her head, nodding slightly.

"I think we're going to go ahead and go to bed as well. I'm kind of tired. But we can get up early and do something. We have tomorrow here, and then Fitz and I leave with Teddy for three days, but we'll be back for a week on Monday."

Jane nodded, smiling at Mellie as she stood up, kissing both of her parents goodnight. She took Teddy from her father, carrying him upstairs. Mellie and Fitz put Bellamy and Ben in the pack and play that they had brought and laid Teddy down on the bed. "I'll change him last…Let me get to the babies first." Mellie told Fitz, who kissed her cheek before going into the bathroom to take a shower.

Mellie picked up Bellamy, undressing her and changing her diaper, putting her into her pajamas before nursing her. Once she finished, she put her back and picked up Ben, doing the same with him. When he was done eating and went to sleep, Mellie laid him down before taking on the task of changing her sleeping toddler. "Teddy Bear. You gotta wake up." She told him, shaking him gently to wake him up. He groaned loudly and Mellie couldn't help but laugh. "You even sound like a bear…" She picked him up, rubbing his back lightly. "Come on, baby. I gotta get you changed and then you can go back to sleep, okay?" She said as the toddler reached up toward her, pushing her face away.

"Nos." Teddy mumbled, shaking his head. Mellie tried again and he pushed her even harder. "No!" He yelled and Mellie sighed.

"Theodore Wallace Grant." She stated simply and Teddy shook his head again.

"Me wants to sleep!" He shouted.

Mellie closed her eyes for a second, trying to keep her cool. "Teddy, I'm gonna spank your butt if you don't sit up and let me get you in your pajamas. I tried being nice, but you're being difficult."

The toddler shook his head again, shoving at Mellie. "Gos away!" He told her, and unfortunately for him, that was when Fitz walked in the room. Fitz sighed, having heard enough of Teddy being disrespectful toward his mother and walked over, smacking his bottom. He didn't do it too hard, but enough for Teddy to get the point.

"That's enough." Fitz told him. "Listen to your mother and sit up, Teddy."

He could barely even feel it because of the padding of his diaper, but when he had the chance to throw a fit, he took it. The toddler burst into tears, sitting up and immediately climbing into Mellie's lap, away from Fitz. He buried his face in her chest, his muffled screams still quite loud. Mellie sighed and rubbed his back, frowning as she listened to her little boy cry. "Teddy…Honey, it's okay. Stop crying." She told him, surprised when he nodded and pulled away from her.

"Me be good…" Teddy whispered quietly, and Mellie had to lean in closer to him to actually hear what he was saying. She nodded and undressed him, changing his diaper before putting his pajamas on. Mellie changed afterwards and laid down next to Teddy. He curled up on the other side of Mellie, as far away from Fitz, but as close to his mother as possible. "Wuv you momma." He told Mellie, cuddling into her.

"I love you too…" Mellie told him, sighing as she kissed Fitz goodnight and tried to get to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

"Baby boy. It's time to wake up." Mellie looked at Teddy, who had barely moved in the 8 hours that he had been sleeping next to her. He was still curled up close to her, his arm around her and his head pressed into her chest. He whined a little bit but then remembered what happened the last time he refused to wake up, so he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He didn't want Fitz to spank him again. Even though it hadn't really hurt, it still scared him.

Teddy laid his head against Mellie's chest, letting out a quiet sigh. He wasn't exactly ready to get up yet, but he knew he couldn't go back to sleep. He closed his eyes for a second and felt his mother kissing the top of his head, and he couldn't help but smile to himself. He loved his mother, more than anything in the world. Especially now that she was being much more active in his life. Before Jerry had died, she was never there, and he recognized Marta as his mother figure. But now he got to spend so much time with Mellie and he adored that.

He opened his eyes, looking over at the other side of the room. He heard his parents say something about this being his mother's old room when she was younger. He couldn't imagine his mom living in here, especially in a room that didn't have a closet. Where was she going to put all of her clothes? She couldn't possibly have fit them all into the tiny dresser that was pressed against the opposite wall. He didn't know that his mother hadn't always been the exact same way that she was now; he was too young to realize that. He just knew that his mommy had a bunch of clothes, a lot of pretty jewelry, she loved playing with him and his baby brother and sister, and she was an important woman.

After he was brought back to reality, he noticed his father playing with his little brother and sister. He was sitting on the floor and Bella and B were climbing on his legs. Teddy let out a sigh, thinking back to when his dad used to play with him like that. After the twins were born, he'd kind of forgotten about him. Of course he still played with him a little bit and he gave him hugs and kisses, but Mellie was really the only one that hadn't changed toward him since his little brother and sister. She loved them to pieces. He had no doubt in his mind that she loved Bella and Ben just as much as she loved him. But at least she treated all of them equally.

He didn't feel good. He was exhausted, even after 9+ full hours of sleep, and his head was pounding. His stomach hurt, and he had a runny nose. He wasn't used to feeling like this, and he was being even more clingy toward Mellie now because of it.

"Are you ready to go spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa?" Mellie asked, running her hand through Teddy's dark hair. He looked up at her and nodded slowly, still not quite completely awake. He wanted to spend the day with just his mother, but he knew that wasn't an option. That was never an option anymore.

Fitz looked up when he saw Teddy was awake and smiled over at him. "Good morning, little man." He said and Teddy smiled back at him.

"Mornings." He responded, yawning as he laid his head back down on Mellie's shoulder. He let out another quiet sigh, and looked up at his mother. "Mama?" He asked and the brunette looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. "Mes no feel good." He whispered, frowning slightly as he cuddled into her as much as he possibly could.

Mellie frowned and placed her hand on his forehead. "Hmm…You feel pretty warm, baby. What's wrong?" She asked, wrapping her arm around him and gently rubbing his back. When Fitz heard her, he looked up at her, concerned. "Fitz, can you go get the thermometer please? I think it's in the bathroom cabinet." She frowned and Fitz nodded, standing up and going out into the hall. Mellie sighed and looked at Teddy, shaking her head slightly. She felt really bad for her baby boy.

"Me head hurts. And me tummy. And there's stuff comin' outta my noses." He whined, burying his face in Mellie's chest. Mellie rubbed his back, not even minding the fact that she knew she had just wiped his snot all over her shirt. Two years ago she would've been absolutely disgusted. She would've nervously handed Teddy to someone else and undressed as quickly as possible, making sure that the shirt was burned and that she was in the shower within five minutes. But that wasn't how she was now. She was different now. She was more in mommy-mode than ever before and to be totally honest, she loved it.

Mellie rubbed Teddy's back, leaning down and kissing his head as she waited for Fitz to come back in the room. When he did, she took the thermometer from him and looked down at Teddy. "Baby, sit up." She told him, and he did, whining as he looked up at his mother. She put the thermometer in his mouth and took his temperature, sighing as she watched the numbers go higher and higher. "102." Mellie mumbled as she took the thermometer out of his mouth and set it on the nightstand. She pulled the little boy into her lap before looking back at Fitz. "You're gonna have to go with my parents on your own, honey. I need to stay with Teddy and I don't want to risk the twins getting sick."

Fitz nodded, looking at the babies that were playing on the floor. "I'll get them ready." He told her as he looked through the infants' clothes to try and find them something to wear. Teddy snuggled into to his mother, wanting to be as close to her as possible. He coughed and looked up at Mellie, pouting as he stared at her.

"Mommy." He whispered and Mellie looked at him.

"What, baby?" The brunette asked, running her hand through the little boy's hair.

He just shrugged, resting his head against Mellie's shoulder. "Come here. We'll get out of those hot clothes, okay?" Teddy nodded and let out a sigh as Mellie undressed him, changing his diaper before laying him back down. "You can stay with mommy while daddy takes Bella and B out with Grandpa and Grandma."

Teddy nodded, closing his eyes as once again, he inched himself closer and closer to Mellie. He was a momma's boy, no doubt, but it was even worse when he didn't feel good.

After Fitz got the babies changed and ready to go, he let Mellie feed them both and packed the diaper bag. He walked over to his wife and kissed her forehead, looking down at Teddy, who had fallen back asleep. "I love you two. Let me know if anything changes." He ran his hand through Mellie's tangled hair before leaning down and kissing his son's warm cheek. "Feel better, buddy."

"I love you too. I will." Mellie told him, giving him a quick kiss. She watched him pick up the twins and their bag and walk out the door. She glanced down at Teddy and rubbed his bare back, frowning as the little boy coughed in his sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

"Fitz, do you have all of you and Teddy's things in the suitcase?" Mellie asked, looking around the room to make sure that she wasn't forgetting anything. She was having second thoughts about leaving the twins, but she knew that they would be well taken care of.

By the next morning, Teddy was feeling much better, and was excited to be able to go somewhere with just his parents. Of course, he loved his brother and sister, but he hadn't ever really gotten the chance to spend time with only Fitz and Mellie. When his parents had mentioned being able to spend four days with just them, no one else, for his birthday, he was ecstatic.

The toddler jumped up and down on Mellie's bed, and the brunette just laughed, shaking her head as she scooped the young boy in her arms, rocking him slightly. "Let's not do that, silly boy. We don't want you hurt when you go to see Mickey."

"MICKEYYY." Teddy squealed, squirming in his mother's arms in an attempt to get out of her grip. "Momma, Jerry sees Mickey too?" He asked, and for a second, Mellie had forgotten that he was talking about his stuffed animal. It took her a moment to answer, and she just nodded, letting out a sad sigh. Boy, did she miss her oldest son…She would give anything to have him back, even for just a day.

Teddy looked up at Mellie, confusion in his eyes. He had met Jerry a few times, and remembered him as well as a 2 year old could remember his older brother, who was active in his life about as much as a distant cousin. But he was a smart child, and he knew what happened to Jerry, and also that his parents got upset when they talked about him. Mellie and Fitz hadn't thought much into how well Teddy caught on to the situation until a few weeks after Jerry died, when Andrew had given Teddy a stuffed lion, and Teddy immediately decided to name it Jerry. Since that day, Teddy and the lion were absolutely inseparable.

"Yes, baby, Jerry can see Mickey too." She finally responded, and Fitz looked over at his wife, noticing the delay in answering their son. He sighed quietly and picked up Bellamy, kissing her head before carrying her over to Mellie, in an attempt to quickly get her out of the sad trance that she was in. He was used to this now, having to distract her when she got like this in order to keep her from breaking down and going absolutely crazy. There were times when he had failed to distract her, and at that point, there was nothing that he could do but hold her and make sure that she knew that he was there for her, and he always would be.

Mellie smiled down at the baby, gently kissing the top of her head, where her blonde hair was growing in at a fast rate. "Hi, beautiful girl." She watched as the little girl giggled, looking up at her with her bright blue eyes. Mellie ran her hand along Bellamy's head, kissing her once more before looking back at Teddy. "Do you have your blankie and Jerry ready to go, baby?" She asked, trying to ensure that she didn't have to deal with a cranky toddler's tempter tantrum in case he left one of the two here.

Teddy nodded quickly, grabbing the lion by the arm and picking up his light blue baby blanket that he had had since he was a baby. "Mes ready!" He told Mellie, grinning as he walked over to his younger siblings. "Bye bubbas! Bye sissy! Me wuvs you!" He blew them both kisses before walking toward the door and looking back at his parents. "Well lets gos!" Teddy yelled and Fitz just laughed, shaking his head slightly.

"Hold on a second, speed-racer. How about you go say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa while mommy and daddy say goodbye to Bell and B?" Fitz suggested and Teddy nodded once more, running out into the hallway and down the stairs to look for his grandparents. Fitz chuckled lightly, turning his attention to Mellie. That boy sure had energy. "He's excited."

Mellie laughed, nodding as she picked up Ben. "Just a little bit." She smiled, tickling her youngest son before kissing his belly. "Goodbye, sweet boy. Mommy and daddy will be home in a few days, I promise. Don't miss us too much." She was trying hard not to cry as she handed the baby to Fitz and picked up Bellamy. "Same goes for you, baby girl. Be good for Grandma and Grandpa. And don't let Grandpa spoil you too much." Mellie teased, smiling as she held her daughter close, rocking her gently while she waited for Fitz to set Benjamin down and take their youngest child.

"Mommy! Mes see Disney!" Teddy squealed, looking out the window, Jerry the Lion clutched in his arms. He pointed with his other hand to the "Welcome to Orlando" sign that they were passing. Mellie just smiled, wrapping her arm around the little boy and pulling him close to her. "We there yets!?" Teddy asked excitedly, looking up at Mellie with his bright eyes.

"Almost, sweetie. But we aren't going to the real Disney today. We're going to the real Disney tomorrow. Today we're just going to Downtown Disney."

Teddy pouted when he heard that they weren't going to the 'real Disney' but he cheered up slightly when his mother mentioned going to something else. "What's that?" The little boy asked, curious as to what Mellie was talking about.

"It's a bunch of shops and cool stuff." Fitz told him, ruffling Teddy's dark hair with the arm that was around Mellie. "And it's all Disney stuff. So we can get you some Mickey Mouse toys and stuff for when we go to Disney tomorrow."

"Stitch! Mes wants Stitch!" Teddy yelled and Fitz smiled at him, telling him that yes, he could get whatever Stitch things he wanted to. Teddy grinned widely, bouncing up and down in his car seat. He was beyond excited, for so many reasons. And Mellie and Fitz absolutely adored it. They loved seeing their little boy so excited.

Once they got to Downtown Disney, Mellie and Fitz got out, Mellie walking around to the other side of the car and taking Teddy out of his seat. She suggested he leave Jerry in the car so that he didn't get lost or stolen, and surprisingly, Teddy agreed, immediately climbing into Mellie's arms and holding onto her. As they walked toward the shops, the cameras immediately started flashing. Mellie let out a small sigh, knowing that this was just the beginning of a very long trip that would no doubt consist of too many cameras and paparazzi. Of course, when Teddy had first been conceived and born, he was nothing but a political pawn, something that Mellie definitely wanted exposed to the public. But now that she had become more of a mother than ever before, now that her little boy was growing up and realizing who his family was and that the cameras were all taking pictures of him, she didn't want to expose Teddy to that. She wanted to keep her son as far away from that as possible. She wanted to keep both of her sons and her daughter away from that.

Mellie started to hide Teddy's face with her arm, but realized that there was no point in it. If she forced the poor boy to hide his face every time they went out, then he would never be able to enjoy the vacation. So she just told him not to mind the cameras and to just act like they weren't there. He was good at paying no mind to the press, so it was almost unnecessary to even give him the usual speech.

They explored all of the shops, leaving with plenty of bags that consisted of mostly Teddy's things, but a few of Mellie and Fitz's, and a few things for the twins. They had even bought Karen some things, despite the fact that she wasn't speaking to them. Karen's favorite Disney character had always been Ariel from The Little Mermaid since she was a toddler, and they knew for a fact that she still loved Ariel, so they purchased a few things for her. Of course, they weren't trying to buy her love, they just wanted to show her that they still cared about her, and that they didn't forget about her.

On their way back to the hotel, Teddy was being cranky, trying to get out of his car seat so that he could sit on Mellie's lap. Mellie sighed and reached over, taking Teddy's hands so that he couldn't touch the straps. "Teddy Bear, stop. You have to sit in your car seat while we're driving. It's not safe for you to be anywhere else."

Teddy shook his head, trying to get his mother to release the grip on his hands. "Nos!" He shouted, vigorously shaking his head back and forth. "Mes wanna sit wif yous!" He shouted, tears falling down his face. Mellie knew he was cranky and didn't want to contribute to his bad behavior, so she didn't say anything. He continued to kick and do everything in his power to get away from her grip and Fitz sighed, reaching over and trying to calm Teddy down. The toddler looked down at his father's arms before opening his mouth and leaning forward, biting down and sinking his teeth deep into Fitz's skin. Fitz immediately pulled away, shouting profanities out of instinct.

"Theodore!" Fitz yelled and Mellie just shook her head, looking at her husband.

"Just leave it. I understand that that was completely out of line and he needs to be punished for that, but there's no point in doing it now. Let him throw his tantrum and just ignore him. He'll realize that he's not getting the attention he wants and then he'll stop." Mellie told him, and Fitz just nodded.

So that's what they did. They left it alone. They ignored Teddy's screaming and complaining until they were almost back at the hotel. When the car pulled into the parking lot, Teddy let out a loud scream and Mellie's head shot over toward him, knowing that something was wrong. He was in tears, screaming his little head off and kicking his feet. "Teddy, what's wrong!?" Mellie asked panicked, listening as Fitz repeated the same exact thing, just a millisecond later.

Teddy just continued screaming and Fitz immediately reached toward the ceiling, turning on the interior light. Mellie examined her son, it taking a second for her to realize that his hand was pinched in the shoulder straps of his car seat. She quickly unbuckled him and released his hand, pulling him into her lap and looking at his hand. It was bright red and part of the skin was broken. Teddy was still screaming as Mellie rubbed his back, shushing him and trying to calm him down. The driver parked and the secret service helped them get their luggage out and carry it up to their room. Mellie carried her screaming son, sighing as she continued to try and get him to take deep breaths and calm him down.

He quieted down once they got into the hotel room at the Nickelodeon themed hotel. Spongebob, Teddy's favorite Nick character, was painted on the wall, and he didn't pay it any mind. He just stared at his hand, sniffling as Mellie got him some ice and held it on his hand. She sat on the bed with him, holding him in her arms as he slowly fell asleep, curled up as close to her as possible. After twenty minutes of the ice being on his hand, she removed it and bandaged his hand, kissing it softly. She sighed, looking up at Fitz.

"We shouldn't have skipped his nap today." She admitted, running her hand through Teddy's hair. Fitz nodded, agreeing as he undressed and changed, climbing into bed next to his wife and son. He kissed both of them goodnight and laid down, immediately falling asleep. Mellie laid down as well, knowing that there was no use in trying to escape Teddy's death hold to change. She fell asleep quickly, holding the little boy in her arms. He was a handful, no doubt. But she wouldn't trade her sweet handful for anything in the world.


	20. Chapter 20

"What's going on, Mel?" Fitz asked as he walked into Mellie's bedroom at her parents' house. They had gotten back from Disney a few hours before, and Fitz hadn't seen her since. She had stayed locked up and hidden in her room since they had gotten home and Fitz couldn't help but wonder why. They had had a great time with their son. She didn't even seem excited to see the twins, which was odd, considering that was almost all that she had talked about while they were on vacation: missing the twins and not being able to wait until they got back so that she could see them.

Mellie didn't look up at him, she just continued staring at the wall, acting as if he hadn't walked in, and as if he hadn't just said something to her. She was pretending like he wasn't there. She couldn't talk to him right now, especially about what was going on. What she was thinking about was only something that one other person knew about, and she wasn't about to tell Fitz. She could never tell Fitz. He would be too ashamed of her.

"Mellie…" Fitz repeated her name and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his wife. She looked so different, so helpless and motionless. Mellie didn't answer him and he just frowned as he laid down next to her and wrapped his arm around her. If she didn't want to talk, that was fine. But he wanted her to know that he was here for her if need be, if she chose that she did want to talk, that she did want to tell him all about what was going through her head and what was bothering her. He wanted her to know that he was really here, not like how it was before, where he wasn't there for her like he should have been.

"I'm here." He whispered, gently kissing the side of her face. Mellie nodded, responding to him in the only way that she could at the moment; non-verbally. She let out a soft noise and Fitz could tell that she was crying, something that broke his heart in two. He hated it when she cried. He couldn't stand seeing his wife, or his children, crying. It physically pained him to see them crying, especially Mellie, who was always so strong and well put together.

After a few minutes, Mellie sat up and looked at him, her face swollen and her eyes bright red. "Do you…Do you wanna hear?" She asked reluctantly, and Fitz nodded, knowing that if he didn't listen now, she might never want to talk about it again. So he knew that this was his only chance to hear about what was truly going on with her. It took her a few seconds before she started speaking. "Years ago…After I had Jerry, after your father…did that to me," she took a deep breath and looked down at her feet. "I wanted to get out. I wanted to rid you of the burden of having me in your life, or having to have me holding you down and keeping you from your goals…" She frowned. "Because at that moment in time, that's what I was. I was a burden. I was not helping you because I was depressed. I was holding back and keeping secrets and I was doing exactly what you told me years ago…I was denying you love and I wasn't letting you touch me."

Fitz listened as she continued talking to him. "I wanted to escape the labyrinth of suffering. I wanted to die. And I almost did. If it wasn't for Andrew…If it wasn't for him working late that night, you would've found me the next morning. You would have come into your office and you would've tripped over your dead wife's body on your carpet…And to be honest with you that probably would have been so much simpler for you. It would have been so much easier to just deal with my death than to have to deal with me for all of these years, than to have to deal with having an affair and our terrible relationship and all of our fighting…" She frowned. "You could have had a normal relationship with Olivia Pope and you would've had Jerry and you wouldn't have been burdened with me or with four other children that were with a woman that you despised." Mellie paused and sighed, but she wasn't completely finished talking yet.

"That would've been so much easier on you, Fitz…And every year, on the same date, that's all I can think about…That your life would be so much easier without me."

Fitz couldn't help but tear up at all of the information that his wife was telling him. He couldn't believe what she was saying. He took a deep breath and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. "Mels…" He whispered, sighing as he wiped her tears away. "Don't you ever think that. You are not a burden to me, and I don't despise you. I never have. And our children are not burdens either. I love our children." He kissed her forehead. "I had a weak moment. You know that. But I've never despised you and I've never regretted the five amazing miracles that we created, that we made. And I would never, and yes, I realize this now, I would never want children with another woman."

He ran his hand through her dark curls and looked into her eyes. "I'm glad he found you. Because you're wrong, Mellie. My life would be so hard and so terrible without you. I love you so much and I would hate to be without you." He tilted her head back and softly kissed her lips. "Mellie, I love you. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because I was ashamed. I was ashamed to the point where I didn't want to tell anyone about it…" She took a deep breath. "That's something that you don't brag about Fitz. You don't mention it if you make it through that."

Fitz nodded. "How did you make it through? How did you put up with that feeling for all those years without talking to anyone about it?"

"I forgave him. I forgave Big Jerry. I didn't try to rationalize it or to justify it. I just forgave him for what he did to me. And that helped. And I tried to forgive you. Which I didn't end up doing until recently, because until recently, I only blamed myself for everything. I never believed that anything that had happened, the way you treated me, the affair…I never believed that any of that was your fault. I always thought of it as my own. But then I finally realized that you were to blame for some of it…And so was your father. It wasn't all me. And of course, you helped me realize that."

"Are you over it? Or do you still have feelings where you want to get out and die?" Fitz asked as he held the broken woman in his arms.

Mellie just shook her head. "No…I've got it now. I'm fine now. It was only recently that I've been completely over it and haven't had thoughts like that in the past few months."

"What happened? Why did it stop all of a sudden?" He asked, curious.

Mellie expressed her answer simply. "The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive."


	21. Chapter 21

"What're you doing up so early?" Mellie asked, rolling over when she realized that her husband was awake. It was a Sunday, and usually Fitz didn't get up as early on Sunday's, so she was slightly confused as to why he wasn't still sleeping.

Fitz wrapped his arm around his wife, pulling her closer to him. "I was just thinking." He told her, planting a small kiss on her forehead.

"About what?" Mellie asked, laying her head on his bare chest and looking up at him as best as she could.

He shrugged slightly and ran his fingers through his wife's soft brown hair. "Just us. And the kids. And how it wouldn't be the end of the world if we had another baby..." He suggested, knowing damn well what Mellie's response would be.

Mellie's head shot up and she looked at her husband like he was crazy, which, of course, he seemed like he was at the moment. She placed her hand on his forehead, searching for a fever or some reason as to why he would suggest something so unreasonable. "Fitzgerald." She said seriously, her eyes locking with his. "I have already carried and delivered five children. Isn't that enough?"

Fitz disagreed. "Karen's gone. She doesn't want anything to do with us, and at this point, I doubt she ever will. We technically only have three children, Mel..."

"Three children under the age of three." Mellie rebutted, shaking her head slightly. "Fitz, we're old. We're getting old and you're going to be nearly 70 by the time Teddy turns 18...I'll be 60." She shuddered at the thought of it. "I don't think it's a good idea. I think we have enough babies."

Fitz frowned, refusing to give up just yet. "One more baby isn't going to make that much of a difference, sweetheart..." He played with her hair as he spoke to her. "You love the twins, and you love Teddy."

"Of course I love them, honey, they're my children." Mellie responded and Fitz just nodded.

"I'm just saying...I think it'd be nice to have another baby. Before we get _too _old."

Mellie nodded and looked at Fitz for a moment. "You really want another one?" She asked him, and he just nodded. She wasn't too sure about the idea, but if it was want he wanted, truly wanted, she figured that she could warm up to it eventually. "Let's give it some time, okay? We'll make it a conversation in a few months or so. Bellamy and Ben aren't even a year old yet. Let's wait until we start missing the baby-stage of our children until we agree to get pregnant again." She kissed his lips slowly, and softly. "And besides...I want a few more months where I can drink at events. And whenever I damn well please." She grinned, and Fitz just laughed.

"America is going to think we're a couple of sex-crazed teenage-wanna-bes." He joked and Mellie giggled, nodding her head.

"I think they already know that about you, sweetheart." Mellie teased. They could joke about that now, at least to an extent. She still had some worry in the back of her mind, but she couldn't help that. Now that Olivia was back, and Fitz had the option to go back to her, but he didn't, that made Mellie really believe in their relationship and believe that Fitz was home to stay. But of course, sometimes, she found herself still worrying about it at some moments.

Fitz nodded and kissed the top of her head as their bedroom door opened. He looked over to see Teddy, who was holding Bellamy's baby blanket in his hand. "Mama." He said, looking at both of his parents as he tried to climb onto the bed. "Sissy wants yous." The toddler told her and Mellie nodded, kissing Fitz's cheek once more before getting out of the bed and picking up her son. She gave him a good-morning kiss and carried the little boy into the twins' nursery, smiling as she saw Bellamy standing up in her crib, her bottom lip puckering out as she held onto the top of the crib and bounced up and down.

"Good morning, beautiful girl." She set Teddy down on the ground and picked up the infant who was clearly a little more than excited to see her mother. "How did you know she wanted me?" Mellie asked Teddy, glancing down at him for a second.

"Cause shes said sos." He told her, not looking up from where he was on the floor. He had found a teddy bear from under the crib and was playing with it now, not paying much mind to his mother.

Mellie raised an eyebrow, about to ask another question. But she was interrupted by the baby in her arms squealing before yelling, "Mama!". The brunette quickly looked at her child, who repeated the word, and tears came to Mellie's eyes. "Teddy, go get daddy. Really quick." She told him, and the little boy got up and rushed to his parents' room. Mellie held her daughter close to her, kissing her head as it finally hit her why she was crying; her daughter had said her first word. And it was mama.

When Jerry and Karen were babies, they're first words weren't big deals to her. Jerry's had been 'dada', and Karen's had been 'banana', although it sounded a lot more like 'nana', when it came from a 7 month old's mouth. She hadn't even been there when they said their first words. Fitz was there when Jerry said his, of course, but the nanny was the only one that had heard Karen's first word. The situation was the same with Teddy. Mellie didn't even know what his first word was, now that she was thinking about it. She wondered if Fitz even knew. She knew that his second or third word was balloon. She had called to tell Fitz that but he was off with Olivia Pope when she did.

Fitz came in the room, followed by baby Teddy. He looked at Mellie and raised an eyebrow, unsure of why he was being summonded into his babies' room so quickly. Teddy didn't even give him the option to change. "Bellamy said mama." Mellie told him, smiling as she kissed the baby's cheek again. She giggled and Fitz quietly shushed her.

"Keep it down, little one." He told her, taking her from her mother's arms. "Bubba's sleeping. If you wake him up then you'll have to share all of your attention." Fitz teased, smiling as Bellamy reached up and grabbed Fitz's nose. The two of them laughed, and Mellie smiled as she watched her husband and daughter.

"Mamaaaa." Bells repeated, reaching her arms out toward her mother. Fitz kissed all over her face before handing her back to Mellie, his heart warming as he watched how good Mellie was with the baby. He had never seen this side of her with their other children, this was something new that he had only begun to see since they had the twins. Mellie was cooing over the infant and Fitz couldn't help but smile to himself. It was absolutely adorable, the way she acted with their children these days. Of course, he wished that she had always acted like this, with Karen, and with Jerry, and even with Teddy when he was first born. But he knew and understood exactly why she hadn't. She had good reasoning for it and he couldn't blame her for that. At least she was making up for it now.

"You sure you don't want to experience this two more times?" Fitz grinned as he whispered the words in Mellie's ear. She rolled her eyes slightly, smiling at his comment.

"Oh shut up."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Mature content. Blah, blah, blah.**

* * *

><p>"Fitz, where are you taking me?" Mellie asked, trying to peek through her husband's fingers. He had his hand over her eyes, trying to block her sight so she couldn't see what he was doing or where he was leading her. She kept trying to see, but Fitz was making damn sure that she wasn't able to see in front of her.<p>

He shook his head, helping her up a flight of stairs. "I can't tell you." He told her as he led her for a minute more. "I'm moving my hand, but keep your eyes closed, okay?" Fitz commanded as he sat down on a chair. He took her hands and pulled her into his lap, softly kissing her neck as he wrapped his arms around her thin waist. "You can open them now."

Mellie slowly opened her eyes, looking around. "Why are we on Air Force One?" She asked him, not turning her head to look at him as she spoke. She enjoyed feeling his lips on her neck and she didn't want to give him any reason to stop.

"Romantic getaway. Not telling you where. You have enough milk pumped for the babies and it's not going to be for very long. Now, no questions allowed, and no complaining." He handed her a glass that was on the table next to them. "Here's some hooch. Drink up, baby girl." He grinned and took the glass of scotch that was next to it, drinking some of it before setting it back down.

Within the next hour, both Mellie and Fitz were past the feeling of being buzzed, and were gradually becoming closer and closer to being drunk. Especially Mellie. "Where are we going?" She asked for the third time, and Fitz just shook his head as he played with her dark brown curls. "Well, can you at least tell me how long we're going to be on this plane?"

Fitz shrugged and ignored the question, moving his lips down to her collarbone and sucking on the pale skin. "Mm, Fitz…" Mellie whispered, closing her eyes again as she tilted her head to the side so that he could have better access to her neck. After a few more seconds, she spoke up and turned around, facing him. "Are you planning on going any further?" She questioned and Fitz raised an eyebrow.

"I don't quite understand what you mean, Madam First Lady."

Mellie glared at him, shaking her head slightly. "Yes, you do." She told him, running her hand through his hair. "If you plan on doing any more than kiss my neck, then I think we should probably go into the bedroom, Mr. President."

Fitz smirked, standing up and picking Mellie up with him. "I love it when you call me that." He whispered into her ear, rubbing her back as she wrapped her legs around him. Her lips wandered to his neck and kissed it, licking his skin as he carried her down the hall and into the bedroom. He closed the door behind her and set her down on the bed, pushing her back and hovering over her. She giggled and he leaned down, kissing her lips. He could taste a mixture between hooch and the cherry lip gloss on her lips, and surprisingly, it tasted awfully good. That specific taste came in a close second to another one of his favorite tastes, the tangy one that he could only find between his wife's thighs, when it came to his absolute favorite flavor.

Fitz continued to kiss her as he undressed her, not wasting any time as he removed her blouse and bra, followed by her skirt and the thin black lace panties that she was wearing. Once he had her undressed, he helped her get his clothes off, and the two of them tossed every article of their clothing onto the floor. "Shit." Fitz whispered, frowning as he picked up his pants, looking in every pocket. "I don't have a condom."

"Don't need one." Mellie responded as she took ahold of her knees and spread her legs, giving Fitz a glimpse of her glistening womanhood. His mouth watered as he stared, and he almost couldn't form a coherent sentence, as he was much too distracted.

He nodded and looked at her face once he finally regained his composure. "Yes, we do. You'll get pregnant if we don't use one, Mels."

"Then so be it." Mellie looked at him. "I want a baby."

Fitz shook his head slightly. "Mellie, you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk, Fitz. A lady never gets drunk."

He rolled his eyes. He'd heard that before. "Mels, no." He sighed. "I can't let you make this decision while you're drunk. If it's not what you really want, then I'll never hear the end of it."

"It's what I want, Fitz." Mellie told him, looking into his eyes as she spoke. "I want a baby. I want another baby with you."

Fitz hovered over her and looked at her as he took his manhood into his hand, and slowly began stroking the length. "You're sure, Mel?" He questioned, not wanting to make the wrong decision. He was drunk too. He had to admit it. But Mellie had far more to drink than he had, and he wasn't sure if she was making an impulse decision, or if she had been thinking about this for a while.

Mellie nodded, her blue eyes still looking into his. "I'm sure." She told him, and he slowly entered her, not sure if he felt more pleasure from the tightness of his wife, or from the noises that she was making as he pushed inside of her. It was astounding to him how she was still so tight and so in shape after pushing out five children. But of course, he wasn't complaining about that.

"Can I be on top?" Mellie asked after a few seconds, and Fitz nodded, carefully flipping them over so that Mellie was on top of him. She placed her hands on his shoulders as she rocked her hips down against his. Fitz let out a loud moan, one that he was sure the entire staff had heard. But honestly, he didn't care.

Mellie continued to ride him, loud moans and groans escaping her mouth as she increased the pace, sweat beading down her forehead. "Oh God, Fitz…" She whispered as she leaned down and sucked on his neck, leaving dark purple hickeys on his skin. Fitz grunted as he thrusted up into her, and Mellie had to try her hardest to keep her composure and not orgasm at that very moment.

"Fuck, Mellie…" Fitz groaned as he closed his eyes and gripped her ass tight. He felt her tighten around him as she rode him, and he took his free hand, placing it on her face. He tilted her head up and he kissed her deeply, just in time. She came hard, and Fitz followed suit directly after, spilling his seed inside of her core. He gave her bottom one more tight squeeze before he wrapped his arms around her and moved slowly, allowing both of them to ride out their climaxes.

When they were finished, Mellie collapsed on top of Fitz, her head rested on his sweaty chest. His hand ran down her body to her back and softly rubbed it, moving his hand up and down. She closed her eyes and everything was so silent now that the only thing Fitz could hear was Mellie's hitched breathing. He kissed the top of her head, continuing to rub her back. "Does this mean we can join the mile high club now?" Mellie asked, her eyes remaining closed.

Fitz just chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't know the official rules, but I would say so." He grinned. "The only difference we have from the other members of that club is that we didn't do it in some filthy bathroom."

Mellie smiled. "When do I get my membership card?"

"Go to sleep, my drunken queen." He told her, and she grinned, not wasting any time as she fell asleep on top of him. He pulled the blanket over their bodies and kissed her one more time. "I love you." Fitz told his sleeping wife, meaning it even more than he had ever before.


	23. Chapter 23

Mellie groaned as she opened her eyes, looking around the room. The sun was shining bright through the curtains and her head was pounding. She pulled her pillow over her head and groaned once more, trying to block out the light that was threatening to make her migraine even worse. Fitz walked out of the bathroom, noticing that she was awake, and he chuckled to himself. "Morning, baby."

She let out a loud noise, not a response, and Fitz couldn't help but laugh. He sat on the edge of the bed and softly rubbed her back. "Did you have a good time yesterday?" Fitz asked, referring to their night that they spent in Italy.

"I can't even remember anything after we got on the plane." She admitted, finally pulling the pillow off of her face. Mellie looked at Fitz and sighed slightly. "Sorry. You just got me so drunk that I couldn't even see straight after a while."

Fitz nodded, his mind immediately going to the fact that they had sex the night before, and to what she had said to him. She said she wanted another baby. He didn't want to say anything to her about it. Especially not now. Not while she was hungover and already in a bad mood. He couldn't possibly drop the bomb that there was a possibility that she was going to be pregnant. Not now, at least.

"Sorry baby. But you did that to yourself. I just poured it. You're the one that drank it." He told her, smiling as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Go take a shower. Maybe you'll feel better."

Mellie nodded and Fitz helped her up, helping her into the bathroom. After she got into the shower, he left, going to his office. He was screwed. He couldn't believe that he actually listened to her last night. He couldn't believe that he might have gotten her pregnant. She may have said that she wanted another baby, but he should've known better. He knew Mellie. And he knew that she wouldn't make a decision like that so lightly.

"Fitz?" Mellie called as she walked into their bedroom a few weeks later. She had a crying Bellamy on her hip, and Teddy was following her, pouting as he held onto her leg. Fitz was sitting on the bed and he immediately got up when his wife came into the room with their upset daughter. He took the baby from her and tried to calm her down, gently bouncing her as Mellie picked up Teddy, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. "She's got teeth coming in, that's why she's so cranky."

Fitz nodded and looked at the baby. "Well, let's go get you a teething ring to chew on so you can get your mind on something else. How's that sound?" He asked Bellamy as he tried to sneak past Mellie.

The brunette shook her head. "No, don't go yet. I have to ask you something."

He nodded slowly, not quite sure of what she was getting at. "Okay…"

"Did we have…did we have s-e-x when we were in Italy?" Mellie asked, glancing up at Fitz as she rubbed Teddy's back.

Shit. Fitz had no idea how to answer that. He was definitely going to be in trouble now. He swallowed hard, and nodded his head. "Yeah…yeah we did."

Mellie ran her tongue over her lips, letting out a small sigh. "Oh…" She frowned and looked at him. "With or without a condom?"

He just shook his head, and she knew the answer to that. "Damn it." Mellie whispered, biting down on her bottom lip and starting to pace around the room, her toddler still on her hip. "God damn it!"

"Mommy, don't say bad words." Teddy told her, but immediately got the hint that this definitely wasn't the time.

"Mel, I…"

Fitz started to talk, but Mellie cut him off. "No…No. Why in the hell would you ever let me have sex with you without a condom, when I specifically told you that we would talk later about us having another baby?" She let out a loud groan. "You took advantage of me. You deliberately waited until I was in a fragile state and could not make coherent decisions on my own." Mellie shook her head and glanced at Teddy for a moment.

"Mellie, no. That's not what happened…" He sighed, hating the fact that he had to explain this to her, that he had to remind her of what happened that night. "Mels, we were both drunk. Yes, I was a little more aware than you were, but we both had impaired judgment and weren't exactly thinking about the future. I asked about a condom and you told me that you wanted another baby…That you didn't care and that you wanted another child with me." He frowned. "And I get that I shouldn't have listened, that I should have realized that you were drunk and you weren't completely thinking, and I'm sorry that I didn't."

Mellie just let out a sigh, nodding her head. "Okay…I'm sorry. I overreacted. I'm just scared, Fitz…I do want another child with you. I would have so many more children with you if that was an option. But carrying another baby, at my age, that's a whole different story. That's a high-risk pregnancy that requires so much extra attention and for me to be so much extra careful. And then I have to take care of the baby…I'm not Superwoman, Fitz…I barely have enough hands to take care of the three needy babies that we have now."

"And you're the president. You're busy. You can't stop a meeting with the president of France because I'm tired and the baby threw up on me, or it won't sleep, or Teddy is being cranky for almost no reason." She sighed. "And I know you help when you can, and you have no idea how much I appreciate that. But it's frustrating. I fired Marta, you know? There's no reason to have her anymore, now that I'm trying to be in the kids' lives. She wasn't doing anything anymore anyway."

Fitz shook his head and set Bellamy on the bed before he pulled Mellie into his arms. "You're right…You're not Superwoman, so you need to quit trying to be. You need to stop being afraid to ask for help." He ran his hand through her hair and chuckled slightly. "Because God, Mellie…You're stubborn. You are so damn stubborn. And you never admit that you need help until you're at your breaking point. But no. You're right. You can't take care of the kids by yourself. So when you're tired and you need help, even if there isn't another baby to worry about, don't be afraid to come in my office and ask me to watch the kids. Don't be afraid to tell me you need something, even if I am working."

"You're tough, Mels, but even tough people need help. And breaks. And a second to breathe. And you have no idea how much you need all of those things." He took Teddy into his arms. "You hear that, little man? You need to give your mom a break…She loves you and she doesn't love you any less because she spends time with your brother and sister. But you're bigger than them. And you can do some things by yourself, things that they can't. I know that you love mommy and that you want to be with her, but sometimes you have to let her have a minute to herself, okay?" He kissed the top of his son's head.

Teddy nodded, frowning slightly. "Mes gonna lose her…" He whispered, laying his head on Fitz's shoulder.

"You're not going to lose me, Teddy Bear." Mellie looked into her son's eyes. "I will always be here, baby boy. Whenever you need me, I'm here. But daddy's right…Sometimes you have to let me spend time with Ben and Bellie. It doesn't mean that I love you any less, it just means that I don't have three arms to carry all three of you at the same time. I play with you by yourself without bubby and sissy…I want to be able to do the same with them." She leaned down and kissed the top of Teddy's head. "You're a big boy. You don't need your mommy to do everything for you."

"Mes no big boys. Mes wittle. Mes still needs momma." He told her, holding out his arms toward her. Mellie just rolled her eyes, smiling as she took him into her arms.

"Okay, you're a little boy. You're mommy's little boy. But do you understand what daddy said?"

Teddy nodded. "Yeahs, momma."

Mellie nodded and ran her hand through his soft hair. "Okay. I love you, baby."

"Wuvs you toos." He kissed her cheek.

Fitz picked up Bellamy once more and looked at Mellie. "I'm sorry." He kissed the top of her head. "You need to work on that, Superwoman."

She nodded and sighed. "I will…Especially if you knocked me up again."

"Yeah…We're definitely gonna have to find out about that." He mumbled.

"We are…But I'm gonna wait…" She frowned. "If I start getting sick or I miss my period, them we'll worry about it. Until then, I'm just gonna act like it's not something we have to worry about."

Fitz nodded and kissed her cheek. "Okay. I'm going to take her to the kitchen to get a teething ring. I love you."

"I love you too." She told him, looking at Teddy as Fitz left. She sat down on the bed, resting her son on her lap as she thought. If she was pregnant, she was going to murder her husband.


	24. Chapter 24

It was the morning of the twins' first birthday party, and while Fitz was downstairs setting up for everything, Mellie was curled up on the floor of their bathroom, throwing up the breakfast that she had just forced down. Teddy was kneeled down next to her, his tiny hand rubbing her back. "It's okay, momma." Teddy told her, having learned his hospitality skills from Fitz, whom he had seen do this quite frequently in the past few weeks. And since daddy wasn't here, Teddy took this as his cue to step in and to take care of his mommy.

After a few minutes of just hovering over the toilet, Mellie stood up and walked to the sink, rinsing out her mouth and brushing her teeth. Once she finished, she washed her mouth out with mouthwash and picked up her son, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, baby." She ran her hand through his soft hair. "But you didn't have to do that. You know that, don't you?"

Teddy nodded, but shrugged his shoulders. "Mes wanted to, momma." He told her, laying his head down on her shoulder. "Mes take care of yous when daddy cants." Teddy explained as he wrapped his legs around his mother and sat up slightly to kiss her cheek. Mellie just smiled, wondering how she got so lucky to have such a sweet and amazing child.

She took him to his room and got him dressed and ready for the party, which he was more than excited for. Against her better judgment, she had gotten him a present as well, so that he could open something while the twins were being showered with their gifts. She knew that it wasn't his birthday and that he had no reason to be getting a present, but she didn't want him to feel left out or to get jealous and throw a fit when Bellamy and Ben were opening their presents, and he had nothing to open.

Mellie finished getting her son ready, and she took him down to where Fitz was working on decorations with some of the staff. Ben and Bellamy were running around, giggling as Bellamy chased Ben. They had just started walking, so they still fell down every once in a while, but they immediately got back up and continued playing as if nothing had happened. It amazed Mellie how they could act like that, and then the littlest thing could happen to them, and they would scream their heads off until Mellie or Fitz picked them up and comforted them.

When Fitz saw Mellie, he walked over to her and kissed her cheek, smiling at her. "How're you feeling?" He asked, kissing Teddy's head before looking back at his wife. "Is the baby giving you a hard time?"

Mellie glared at her husband, shaking her head slightly. "Mes no baby." Teddy told his father, and Fitz knew that this wasn't a good time to talk about this.

"Teddy Bear, how about you go play with Bubba and Sissy?" Mellie asked and Teddy nodded, climbing out of Mellie's arms and running over to his brother and sister. "Fitzgerald." Mellie scolded and Fitz just raised an eyebrow. "First of all, we don't even know if I'm pregnant, so let's not throw the B word around so casually. Second of all, let's be careful who we say it around because even if I am pregnant, we're not telling the kids, or anyone else for that matter, until I'm at least 12 weeks. Do you understand me?"

Fitz nodded. "Yes ma'am." He told her as he pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her lips. "I'm sorry. I'm excited."

Mellie kissed him back, letting out a small sigh as she nodded. "I understand that, Fitz…But you've been through this with me four times already. You know that there's a certain protocol that we follow when it comes to this." She ran her hand through his hair. "Besides, we don't even know if I'm pregnant."

"If you're not, then we're spending all night locked up in our bedroom. I'm gonna make sure you can't walk in the morning." Fitz whispered into her ear, and Mellie closed her eyes, smiling at the thought.

"Can we do that even if I am pregnant?" Mellie asked, and Fitz chuckled, nodding his head.

"Of course, beautiful." He kissed her once more before unlocking his arms from around her, and going back to decorating for the party.

There were tons of people at the twins' party, and Bellamy and Ben were definitely not fans of having all of the people around. Much like Teddy at his first birthday party, they hid with their heads in Mellie and Fitz's necks, trying hard not to have to look at all of the people looking at them. They were shy babies when they weren't around their parents, and definitely did not like having all of those people staring at them. But they were tired early, and so was Teddy, so Mellie and Fitz took them up to their rooms and put them to bed before going back down to the party.

It was nearly midnight before everyone left, and Mellie was cleaning up and getting all of the kids' presents together when Fitz came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Well I'd say that this was definitely a success." He told her, kissing her neck a few times before pulling away and looking at her. "But we have one more thing we have to do before we go to sleep."

Mellie turned and faced him, raising an eyebrow. "What's that?" She asked and Fitz ran his hand through her hair.

"I've got three pregnancy tests up in our bathroom. Will you take them, please?"

She took a deep breath before nodding slowly. This was something that she had really been trying to avoid, finding out if she was pregnant. She was 98% positive that she was, especially with all of the throwing up she had been doing recently. She was eventually going to agree to Fitz's suggestion to have just one more, but it wasn't something that she wanted to do so soon.

Mellie followed him upstairs, and the two of them went into their bedroom. Fitz sat down on the bed and let Mellie go into the bathroom. He thought to himself as he anxiously awaited the answers, and he couldn't believe that it was a possibility that she was pregnant again. Two years ago, he had barely wanted to touch her. He had wanted to divorce her because he couldn't stand her. He had turned against her and he had believed that he hated her, and now, she was possibly pregnant with their fifth baby. He couldn't believe it.

What he really couldn't believe was that he had ever been so mean, so hateful against her. She had never deserved that, but that was how he had treated her, just so terribly, because he was so blinded by Olivia. But luckily, he had come to his senses, and Mellie had taken him back and accepted his apologies. That was something that she hadn't had to do. With how he had treated her for so many years, she should have laughed in his face and left him with nothing. She should have told him to fuck off and flung her ring in his face, and she should have taken Teddy and gone off with Andrew. That's what she should have done. But then again, he had knocked her up before he even had the chance to apologize, so even if she wanted to leave, it probably wouldn't have been so simple. There was no doubt in his mind that Mellie would have stayed, no matter what the circumstances were. But that wasn't what she should have done after how she was treated for so many years, after the hell that Fitz had put her through since his father had taken advantage of her. He hadn't known, but he still shouldn't have treated her the way that he did. He had no right to do that. But still, Mellie accepted his apologies and she stayed. And he was so lucky to have had a second chance with her, because he loved that woman to his detriment and he never wanted to hurt her again.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard the bathroom door open. He looked up when he heard his name, yet she repeated it once more. "Fitz…"


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Here you go, y'all, so you don't have to wait too long to find out your answer. :)**

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><p>"Yeah?" Fitz asked as his looked up at his wife, anxiously awaiting the answer. Was she pregnant or not? He wasn't exactly sure what they would do if she wasn't. Would they keep trying for another? Would they give up and just decide that Bellamy and Ben were going to be their last two? He wasn't even really sure what he wanted now. He didn't want to take the risk now that he was thinking about it. For Mellie to successfully carry a baby at her age, the chances were slim. But then again she had carried Teddy and the twins with nearly no problem. Nearly. Then again, she had spent the majority of her pregnancy with Ben and Bellamy in the hospital. But he decided to stop worrying, to wait until he heard what Mellie had to say first.<p>

She sucked on her bottom lip and shook her head slightly. "No. I'm not pregnant." Mellie told him, looking at him. Fitz stood up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her tiny body. He kissed her forehead, holding her close to him.

"What are we going to do? Do you want to try? Or do you want to just leave it?" He asked, running his hand through her soft, messed up curls.

"I think...If you still want one, let's keep trying." Mellie told him, and Fitz nodded, kissing Mellie's lips slowly, and softly. She pulled away and looked up at him. "I know it's late...but do you want to try some tonight?"

Fitz smirked, nodding his head. "Of course I want to try tonight, Mel." He pulled her into his arms and kept kissing her, slowly undressing her. Even though earlier he had wanted their night to be full of sweat and Mellie's legs above her head, he could tell that Mellie wanted to make love, to take things slow. And he wanted to, too. If they were going to make a baby, to actually try for one, he wanted it to be like when he was first trying to get her pregnant, back when they were trying for Jerry. They hadn't tried for Karen, that was a drunken accident. Teddy was planned, but neither of them had actually wanted to touch each other. Fitz just thought about Olivia the entire time that he was inside of Mellie, which he regretted more than anything right now. And as for the twins, that was another one of their drunken accidents, as much as he hated to admit. He wanted this baby to be made out of love.

They spent their entire night wrapped in each other arms, slowly moving with each other, their bodies covered in a thin film of sweat. Mellie fell asleep around 4am, curled up in Fitz's arms. She slept next to him, her head on his chest, and Fitz's arms wrapped around her. They slept for hours, peacefully, until they woke up, and engaged in yet another round. When they finished, Fitz held his wife, kissing all over her. "Good God, Mel...you are such a beautiful woman." He whispered, and immediately, Mellie froze up.

"Fitz..." Mellie mumbled, pushing him away from her. "It's late. We have to get up." She told him, shaking her head slightly as she struggled to get out of his arms. He wouldn't allow it though, and just continued to hold her.

"Mels, what's wrong?" Fitz asked, and there was a quiet knock on the door, which made Mellie quietly thank God for that little miracle. She got up and put on her robe, Fitz following suit as he pulled on his boxers.

Mellie opened the door, and Teddy looked up at his mother, his stuffed giraffe in his hand. "Momma, yous sleep too long." Teddy told her, pouting as he held his arms around toward her. Mellie picked him up and pulled him into her arms. "Mes wanna watch Spongebobs with yous."

"You wanna watch Spongebob with me?" Mellie asked, smiling as her son nodded. "Well I would love to watch Spongebob with you. How about you go and get settled in the living room while mommy gets dressed and checks on Bells and Ben?" She kissed Teddy's cheek and he nodded as she set him down. Teddy ran off and Mellie went back into her bedroom, where Fitz was staring at her.

"Honey...what's wrong?" He asked as she came back in. Mellie just shook her head and Fitz stood up, walking toward her. "Something's wrong, Mels. What is it?" He asked, sighing as she once again ignored him.

He continued to follow her, and Mellie sighed as she turned around and looked at him. She didn't want to tell him, it was stupid, but she knew that he wouldn't leave her alone if she didn't tell him. "Fitz..." She mumbled, sighing as she looked up at him. "What you said...right before I tried to leave...it was the same thing your father said to me the night that he, the night that he forced himself on me." She sucked in a breath as she tried to fight the memories that had already filled her mind that morning. "It just took me back...and made me think about what he did to me."

"Mellie..." Fitz whispered, looking at his wife. He didn't want to touch her. He wasn't sure if she could handle that right now, and he didn't want to push her. "Baby, I'm sorry." Fitz told her, sighing quietly. "I don't know what to say other than sorry, because I know that I can't take the pain away, I know that I can't take the memories away, and that I can't keep you from thinking about it. I wish I could, but I know that I can't."

Mellie nodded, looking at him. "It's okay, Fitz. It's fine. You didn't know." She told him, frowning slightly. "Don't worry about it. I'm okay. I will be okay. I'm just gonna go take a shower and spend the day with our son, okay?"

Fitz nodded and Mellie moved closer to him. "You can kiss me, you know." She told him, and Fitz carefully draped his arms around her, kissing her gently. "I love you." Mellie whispered.

"I love you too." He kissed her forehead and dropped his arms, watching as she walked into the bathroom. Mellie took a quick shower and got dressed before going to check on the twins. They were playing on the floor with Fitz, all three of them smiling and happy. Mellie said good morning to both of her babies, and kissed Fitz once more, before going into the living room, where Teddy was sitting on the couch. He was waiting for his mother, and he grinned widely when she walked in. Mellie smiled and sat next to him, turning on Spongebob.

Teddy climbed into her lap and snuggled close to her, playing with her pearl necklace as he watched the television. Mellie rubbed his back, holding her son close as the two of them spent the entire day together, binge watching Spongebob. Teddy fell asleep in her arms after a few hours, and eventually Mellie fell asleep as well. /

Fitz came to check on them when he was on his way to go get dinner, and he smiled slightly when he saw the two of them asleep, Teddy curled up against his mother. This was a sight that he would never get used to, that wouldn't stop touching his heart until the day that he died. He loved seeing Mellie with their kids, and he especially loved seeing how close Mellie was with Teddy. The two of them were nearly inseparable, and Fitz loved that. He was so used to seeing Mellie hand off their babies to whoever would take them.

He snapped a picture before he went to eat, and he came back a while later, sitting next to both of them. He held Mellie in his arms and didn't even notice when Teddy woke up and looked at him. "My mommy." He told Fitz, pouting as he tried to push Fitz's arms off of Mellie.

Fitz chuckled slightly, running her hand through Teddy's hair. "I'm sorry buddy. I know she's yours. I'm just giving her some love while you're sleeping."

Teddy nodded. "Okays. Well mes up now so she mines again." Teddy told his father, and Fitz just smiled, nodding as he unwrapped his arms from Mellie, but kept his hand on her thigh, where Teddy couldn't see it.

Fitz watched as his son curled up closer to Mellie, putting his legs under his bottom and sucking his thumb as he laid his head on Mellie's chest. Fitz couldn't help but laugh, remembering that that was the exact position that Teddy used to always go to when he was a baby and Mellie would hold him. It was a rare occurrence, but Fitz remembered it vividly.

Mellie slowly woke up, looking at Teddy and smiling. It took her a while to notice Fitz, and she turned her head toward him, smiling slightly. "You know...I don't regret the twins. I couldn't. But...I think I would have been perfectly content with just having my Teddy Bear. I feel bad that he never really had a chance to be by himself and be the only one that had his parents' love."

Fitz nodded and looked at her. "I know. I understand." He told her, his gaze going from his wife to Teddy. "But I don't think he cares. As long as he gets his mommy's attention, he's content."

"I know he is. And believe me, I love spending time with my boy." Mellie smiled and ruffled Teddy's hair. "But don't worry. That doesn't mean that I'm changing my mind on us trying. I still want that." She laid her head on Fitz's shoulder, and he just nodded.

He wrapped his arm around Mellie, smiling as Teddy glared at him and gave him a warning stare. "Sorry, little man. You gotta share her." He told him and Teddy just nodded, snuggling back into his mother. Bellamy and Ben came running in, struggling to climb on the couch. Fitz helped them up and they curled up in between their parents, laying their heads on Mellie and Fitz's shoulders. Fitz just smiled to himself, not sure how he got so lucky to have such a great family. Of course, it would be so much better with Karen, but he couldn't change how she felt about him. So he was going to try harder with these three, and with the new baby that they were hopefully going to have. He was going to try harder with Mellie as well. He wanted to keep her happy and keep her wanting to stay with him. He couldn't lose her. Not again.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Sorry, the format got messed up when I was uploading this! Thanks to BrillentlyTalented, I found that out and fixed it immediately. This chapter's kind of boring, but I wanted to get something up! Will write more interesting things next. :)**

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><p>"Boy or girl?" Fitz asked, laying upside down on the bed with a sleeping Teddy on his chest. Mellie was sitting on the couch in their bedroom, staring at her cell phone. She had 1 minute and 52 seconds left, until she could go look at the pregnancy tests that were sitting on the counter in their bathroom. They had been trying for a few weeks, and this was the first time that she had taken a test since she had been afraid that she was pregnant a few months before.<p>

Mellie looked up at Fitz, too caught up in eyeballing her cell phone to pay attention to what he was saying. "Hmm?" She questioned.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" He repeated.

"Fitz, we don't even know if I'm pregnant yet." She glanced at her phone again. "But if I am...I don't know. I mean, I know everyone always says they want a healthy baby and that the sex doesn't matter. But I don't know. Because I mean, Teddy is the sweetest. And Ben is the sweetest. But our girls have always loved you more. So I might be leaning toward another boy...but all in all, that would make us what? Four boys, two girls?" She shrugged. "Maybe another girl. I don't know. I guess we'll have to see."

Fitz nodded, watching as she stared at her phone. "I'm gonna go with the healthy baby crap because honestly, I don't really care either."

Mellie got up after a minute and walked back into the bathroom. "Fitz!" She yelled and Fitz put Teddy on the bed before she got up, going into their bathroom and looking at her. "Fitz, it's positive." She told him, smiling as Fitz just stared at her. "I'm pregnant!" Mellie squealed and Fitz grinned like a child, pulling her into his arms.

"Mommaa!" A little voice came from the bedroom, interrupting Mellie and Fitz's embrace. Mellie just chuckled quietly and let go of him, going into their room and smiling at baby Bellamy, who was holding herself up with the help of the coffee table.

Mellie smiled when she saw her daughter. "Hi princess. Look at you, standing up and all that cuteness." Bellamy giggled and dropped to her knees, crawling over to her mother and holding her arms up toward her. "Well hello there beautiful." Mellie picked up Bellamy and kissed her cheek, rubbing her back as she balanced the little girl on her hip. "Where's your brother?"

Fitz looked at Mellie. "I'll go find him. And then we can all watch a movie together. All six or seven of us."

Mellie glared at him. "You're not funny. There better only be one baby in my uterus or I will murder you with my bare hands."

Fitz just laughed as he left the room, going to look for their youngest son. He brought the little boy back a few minutes later, and he was immediately reaching for Mellie when he saw her. "Mommy!" He giggled and Fitz handed him over, switching for Bellamy. He smiled at his daughter, tickling her as he sat down on the bed next to sleeping Teddy.

Mellie and Ben sat next to them and Fitz turned on Cars. The second that Teddy heard Lightning McQueen's voice, his eyes shot open and he was wide awake, ready to watch the movie. They all laid there, Teddy's head on Mellie's chest, Bella and Ben curled up and cuddled together, and Fitz's hand on Mellie's belly. Mellie just smiled to herself, thinking about their cute little family and how much she was in love.

There was a knock on the door toward the end of the movie and Mellie looked up, unable to believe who was standing in her doorway. "Mom?"

"Karen...hi, sweetie. What're you doing here?" Mellie asked as she sat up, receiving a loud groan from Teddy when she did. She ruffled his hair and looked back at her daughter. "You can come sit over here if you'd like." She looked at Fitz, who was sleeping with his arms around the twins.

Karen walked over and smiled at her, sitting down next to her mother. "Are these the twins?" She asked, rubbing Bellamy's back. Mellie nodded and Karen looked back at her. "What are their names again?"

"Bellamy." Mellie told her, running her hand through her youngest daughter's blonde hair. "And Ben. But we call him B for the most part."

Karen nodded. "They're beautiful." She told her mother, watching as Bellamy rolled over and looked at her sister, giving her a big smile. She reached over and grasped Karen's finger, squeezing it gently. "Hi there, Bells." Karen smiled back at the infant. "I'm your big sister. I'm Karen." She told her, looking over at Ben, who was sleeping curled up close to Fitz.

"He looks just like dad."

Mellie nodded. "He does, doesn't he? He's such a sweetheart."

"So is his sister." Karen told her, giving Bellamy another smile. "So I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here..." She mumbled, looking at Mellie.

She nodded and wrapped her arm around her oldest child, pulling her closer to her. "I am. But we can let that wait. For now, just watch a movie with us. It's nice to have my babies all together." Mellie just smiled to herself as she looked at the babies, Teddy, her teenage daughter and her husband. But her smile faded when it hit her...When she realized that she would never have her babies all together. Jerry was dead. She would never have her oldest son back. She would never been able to curl up with him the way she does with Teddy and the twins. She would never get to see him again. And that made her heart hurt. She couldn't be happy because she felt guilty...It was her fault.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: I apologize to the people who don't like my fic, or agree with the things I write. I write what I want to write and how I want things to be, and there's plenty of people that want to read it as well. I'm 99% sure that if you don't like it, you wouldn't have made it this far anyway, however.

Mellie's in the bathroom with her head hovered over the toilet. Her morning sickness with this baby is worse than her morning sickness when any of her other pregnancies. This is the absolute worst. She finds herself in the bathroom at least 5 times a day, and even more often, she finds herself throwing up into a trash can.

She hates this. She realizes that yes, she did sign up for this. And yes, she did know that she was going to be sick. But she didn't expect it to be this bad. At least when she had morning sickness with Jerry, Fitz was there to hold her hair back. He had tried to be there when she was pregnant with the twins, but it was hard to run to your wife's side every ten seconds when you had a country to run. It was even harder now, considering that more often than not, he had three babies running around his office while he tried to work. Running to Mellie's side when she got sick just wasn't an option.

But he wanted to. If he knew when she was sick, he would drop everything and run to her. Because that's who he was now. That's who he had always been, but his judgement had been clouded. If Mellie told him when she was having morning sickness or when she was sick, he would be with her, holding her hair and rubbing her back every single time. But he knew that there was no chance of her telling him, since he was busy and she didn't want him leaving important meetings or dropping everything for her.

Later that night, she was giving Bellamy a bath when Karen walked in the bathroom. She sat down on the counter and watched Mellie, taking a deep breath as she thought about how she was going to tell Mellie what she needed to tell her. Mellie hadn't even noticed her until she started speaking. "Mom?" Karen asked and Mellie just made a noise to let her know that she was listening. "You want to know why I'm here?"

Mellie had wanted to know that since her daughter had shown up in her bedroom a week before. But she hadn't pushed her. Honestly, she had forgotten about it. She had been too caught up in her pregnancy to even think about why Karen was here. She nodded when her daughter asked the question and Karen continued to speak, her voice shaky. "I, uh, I got busted smoking with a boy in his room...and we weren't exactly clothed..."

Mellie's head shot back to Karen and within seconds, her whole world began to spin. She had let go of Bellamy when she looked at Karen and she slipped, falling and hitting her head on the edge of the big bathtub. The blood began gushing into the water and Mellie's heart stopped. "Go get your father and call 911!" Mellie panicked as she took her youngest daughter out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel. She couldn't figure out where the blood was coming from and she just put another towel over her head, breathing hard as she tried to calm the screaming baby. "Shh...it's okay princess. It's gonna be okay." She told her, rocking her gently as she stood up, running to go meet her husband.

Fitz was running out of his office and him and Mellie nearly crashed into one another. Mellie was a mess, sobbing and bawling almost as much as Bellamy. Fitz comforted his wife until the paramedics showed up and they went with their daughter to the hospital. It was the second time in the past year that they were here with one of the twins and Mellie felt terrible.

"We're bad parents...I'm a bad mom." Mellie mumbled to her husband as the doctors worked on their baby girl, trying to stop the bleeding. Fitz just wrapped an arm around her, sighing as he kissed the top of her head and disagreed with every word that she said. "I...I should've kept my eyes on her no matter what. I should have never let go of her. Karen should've been able to tell me that she was a stripper and I should have still kept my hands on Bells..." She sucked in a breath and wiped her tears from her face.

"Mels, it was instinct, baby. It's not your fault...she should have never told you that while you were giving Bella a bath. That was dumb on her part. This wasn't your fault, baby..." He held her close, holding her in his arms as they waited.

Relief washed over the both of them a few hours later when the doctors came up to them and told them that Bellamy would be okay. Mellie was half asleep in Fitz's arms, but refused to go to sleep until she knew how her daughter was doing. By the time they got a mile from the hospital on their way back home, both Mellie and Bellamy were passed out, Mellie holding Bellamy in her arms as the two of them slept.

Fitz helped them up to the residence and helped them both into Mellie and Fitz's bed before he went to go find his daughter. He went into her room and stood in the doorway, staring at her. "Dad...how's Bella?" She asked.

"She's fine. Sleeping with your mother in our bedroom." He looked at his daughter, not wasting any time as he switched subjects. "What's this I hear about you getting expelled for smoking? While you were naked in bed with another boy?" Fitz questioned.

Karen was speechless. She didn't know how to respond to that. "I. Uh. It's true..." She mumbled, knowing that it was impossible to try and justify it. There was no justifying it.

Fitz just sighed and nodded his head. "I'll be looking for another boarding school in the morning." He told her and Karen just nodded.

"Thank you." She didn't want to be here. She hated it here. She hated her parents. Here is where her brother died. Here is where her parents completely changed. This White House is the reason that her brother had died. If they hadn't been in the White House, if her father had never been president, her brother would still be alive. She had always resented her parents and she resented them even more for this.

"I love you." Fitz told her and she just nodded. He sighed and went back to his room, changing and crawling into bed with Bellamy and Mellie. He chuckled to himself when he noticed two extra bodies curled up to his wife, and he couldn't help but think that they definitely needed a bigger bed. Especially with another baby on the way. He would look into that in the morning as well.

Fitz wrapped an arm around Teddy, who he thought was asleep until he heard the little boy's quiet voice. "Daddy?" He whispered.

"Yeah buddy?"

"Me loves you." Teddy told him, crawling up and kissing Fitz's cheek. "More than alls the stars." He cuddled into Fitz. "To infinitys and beyond."

Fitz smiled, kissing Teddy's head. "I love you too Buzz. Goodnight, little man." He held his son, unable to stop smiling.

"Yous the best daddy in the whole wide worlds." Teddy told him, yawning before falling asleep curled up close to his father. Fitz fell asleep shortly after, his heart melting as he thought about how lucky he was to have the amazing family that he did.


	28. Chapter 28

"She's okay, Mels..." Fitz told his wife, who was watching over their daughter. The little girl was sleeping in her crib, and Mellie had her eyes locked on her. She had been this way for the past few days, since they had gotten home from the hospital. She didn't want to take her eyes off of any of her children, and she was being super careful with the child in her stomach. She was making sure she ate right and was taking all of the precautions so that this baby was safe and healthy. She couldn't risk hurting another one of her children.

Mellie just nodded, letting out a sigh. "I know she is...I just feel terrible." She admitted, frowning slightly as she reluctantly turned her head to Fitz. "I hurt her...I let go of her and she got hurt...I took my eyes off of her for 3 seconds mad she slipped and hit her head. What kind of mother lets her child get hurt when she's inches away from her?" Mellie asked and Fitz sighed, rubbing his wife's back.

"A human one." He kissed the top of her head. "Mel, anyone could've done that. I could've done that. It wasn't your fault. It was an accident. You didn't mean to do it. That's why they're called accidents." Fitz looked at Bellamy. "And she's okay. She is breathing, she's safe, she's happy."

Mellie nodded. "I know." She whispered as she watched her daughter. She was about to look at Fitz, but was interrupted by the familiar feeling in her stomach, and she ran off to the bathroom. Fitz watched her and sighed, following after her and kneeling down next to her, pulling her hair back and holding it out of her face. He rubbed her stomach and she leaned back after a few minutes, wiping her mouth with a towel and letting out a tired sigh.

"You're making momma suffer a lot, aren't you, little one?" Fitz asked as he rubbed Mellie's stomach. "I know she's been throwing up all the time because of you." He looked at Mellie, who was surprised that he knew about that. She thought that she had done well at keeping that from him so that he didn't worry about her. "Mommy didn't think I knew that. But even four years later, she doesn't realize that I have my spies." Fitz smiled and Mellie just shook her head.

"This is our last one, Fitz. I mean it." Mellie told him and he nodded as he buried his face in her neck. "I'm serious. We said that about Karen, and then about Teddy, and after that, about the twins. Before we even knew they were twins." She leaned back, laying her head against his shoulder. "We're gonna have a soccer team, Fitz. Or a football team. Or some kind of team." Mellie sighed and looked at the wall.

Fitz kissed Mellie's neck, nodding his head. "It'll be okay. No more. We have to make sure you're taking your birth control, and I'll wear condoms. We'll stock up on the morning after pill just in case." He rubbed her side.

"I'm high risk now. I can't imagine having another baby after now."

He nodded. "Neither can I...I can't risk losing you. So that's not a good idea." Fitz stood up and took her hand. "Let's go lie down. You look exhausted." He helped her up and led her to the bedroom. "Is there anything you need, baby?" He asked as he walked with her. She just shook her head and he helped her into bed before lying next to her. He held her close and within seconds of closing his eyes, he was asleep.

"Dadddddyyyy." A little voice woke him up, and Fitz opened his eyes, seeing his youngest son.

"Hey little buddy." He pulled Ben into his arms and kissed his cheek. "What're you doing?"

The baby shrugged and planted a sloppy wet kiss on Fitz's cheek before wiggling out of his arms and looking at Mellie. He crawled under the blanket, struggling to get Mellie's shirt up. He huffed when he couldn't do it, and Fitz laughed for a second before helping him. Fitz pulled her shirt up and unclipped her bra, watching as Ben struggled to push Fitz out of the way, as if he hadn't eaten in months.

"Fitz, that better not be you sucking on my nipple." Mellie mumbled after a few minutes, her eyes still closed. Fitz just laughed and gently kissed her lips, non-verbally answering his wife's question.

She reached down and ran her hand through Ben's hair, smiling as he nursed. "I only have two boobs." Mellie laughed. "How am I gonna breastfeed four children?"

"We're gonna have to do what we started doing with Teddy...slowly get them to stop doing it so often, and let them do it every once in a while. We're at the point where Teddy does it maybe once every two days, but knowing him and how he is with you, this is probably gonna be a setback..." He sighed. "We'll figure something out, Mels."

Mellie nodded and Cyrus knocked on the door before he walked into their bedroom. She covered her chest and her son right as he walked in. "Sir...We have a situation." Cyrus told him, and Fitz nodded, sighing as he got up. "I'll be right back." He told Mellie, kissing her head as he left.

"What is it, Cy?" He asked as he walked into the hallway.

"I would like you to meet someone. George Bixby. He's the top dog over at the inspector general's office." Cyrus told him as he led Fitz into the Oval.

"He's here because of the issue with Karen's agents?" Fitz questioned and Cyrus nodded as he held his hand out to George. "George."

"Sir." The man responded as he firmly shook Fitz's hand.

"You think you can get our secret service in line?"

"I'll do my best, sir. In fact, there have already been some red flags."

Cyrus butted in. "I wouldn't call them red."

"Everything is significant in an internal investigation, Mr. Beene." George turned to Fitz again. "Your agent, Tom Larsen..."

Fitz raised an eyebrow. "My Tom Larsen?"

"There are some discrepancies in his schedule. Something about him being at Fort Dertrick when he was supposed to be here. It's probably just a clerical error."

"When was this?" Fitz asked.

"November 2nd. Two days before the election." Fitz's heart dropped as he spoke. "I'll be speaking with him later tonight. I'm sure I'll get to the bottom of it."

"Thank you. That will be all."

Cyrus looked at him, sensing the sudden change in Fitz. "Sir?"

"That'll be all, Cyrus." Fitz grabbed his phone as he left. "Get me a secure line."


	29. Chapter 29

"Agent Larsen, I'm gonna ask you to clarify a few dates of service over the past six months." George Bixby told Tom, looking at him from across the small table.

Tom nodded, looking at George. "Alright."

"November 2nd of last year. We have you assigned to POTUS' detail while he campaigned in Ohio. Is that correct?"

"That sounds about right, yes." Tom nodded again, looking at George as he spoke.

"Then explain to me why and how somebody swiped your security card that same day, 400 miles away in Maryland, at Fort Detrick?"

"Are we on record here, sir?"

He nodded. "Yes, we are, Agent Larsen. What were you doing at Fort Detrick on November 2nd?"

Tom kept a straight face as he looked in front of him. "I was completing an assignment, sir."

"An assignment?" George Bixby raised an eyebrow.

Tom nodded. "Yes sir."

"Under who's orders?"

The door opened and Rowan walked in the room. Tom's facial expression immediately dropped when he saw his boss walking in. "Agent Bixby, I'll take it from here." He took George's place and sat across from Tom.

"I'm not saying anything without an attorney present."

"You seem nervous, Agent uh, Larsen, is it?"

"What are you doing here? And who the hell brought Rowan into this?" Cyrus asked as he looked next to him. Fitz was standing beside him, looking at Rowan and Tom through the one-way mirror.

"I did, Cy."

Back in the room, Tom was trying to speak to Fitz. "As I said, I wish to exercise my constitutional right to representation."

"I think you'll find the constitution doesn't apply in this case, Agent Larsen." Tom was trying to look through the mirror to get Fitz's attention. "Eyes on me, Agent."

"I would like to speak with the president."

"Relax, Agent Larsen. The truth shall set you free. All you have to do is give me the information that I need, and I'll have you on your way."

That son of a bitch. "Mr. President, please..." Tom begged.

Rowan ignored him. "Now, I see that we've established that you were present at Fort Detrick November 2nd, two days before the election, under "official assignment", as you put it." Tom didn't respond. "Agent?"

"Yes."

"What was that assignment, Agent Larsen?" Once again, no response. "Allow me to jog your memory. Multiple security cameras and several prints place you in the defense research facility for more than an hour, a highly classified area, as you might guess, where many lethal agents are studied and housed, including one specific strain of bacterial meningitis that went missing that day, the exact strain that killed young Jerry Grant."

"What is he doing, Mr. President?" Cyrus asked as he watched Rowan and Tom.

Fitz kept his eyes locked on the two men. "Finding out who killed my son."

Tom looked at Rowan. "What do you want from me?"

"You know what I want, soldier."

Tom shook his head. "I don't, I swear."

"Oh, but you do. Think. You were there. A vial goes missing. A young boy dies. You will be held responsible for the assassination of the president's son. I just need to know why you did it."

"I-I-I was under orders." Tom told him, getting more nervous by the second.

"Who's orders?"

"Please. I can't do this."

"Let me make this clear, Agent Larsen. There won't be one single person left on your side when you leave this room. You want me on your side. You need me on your side. And I will do all I can for you if you tell me right now what I need to hear. Who gave you the order?"

"Please, I..."

"Who gave you the order, soldier!?"

"Please.."

"Who gave you the order to kill the president's son!?"

Tom took a deep breath, swallowing hard before speaking. "Jake Ballard...Ballard gave me the order."

Cyrus looked at Fitz, who was just staring, his facial expression unchanged. "Sir?" He questioned.

"Do it."

It was extremely late when Fitz found his way back up to the residence. He was drunk, to say the least, but he had a reason. He had just found out that one of his secret service agents murdered his son. He had a reason to drink. As he was walking to his bedroom, he nearly tripped on something in the hallway. He looked down and saw Teddy curled up on the floor, his head on his stuffed lion, and his baby blanket wrapped around him.

Fitz bent down and picked up the little boy. "What're you doing out here, little man?" He asked as Teddy opened his eyes slowly and laid his head on his father's shoulder.

"Mes no get in yous room." He told him sleepily, yawning as he closed his eyes once more. "Door close. Me no reach."

Fitz nodded and kissed his son's head, stumbling slightly as he carried the little boy back to his bedroom. By the time Fitz laid him down, Teddy was already back asleep. He watched him for a few minutes before heading to him and Mellie's room and stripping down to his boxers. He looked at Mellie, who was sleeping so calmly in his t-shirt and a pair of black lace panties. He felt terrible. She wouldn't be sleeping like this again for a long time. He had to tell her. He had to tell her that their son was murdered, that his best secret service agent had murdered their son. That they weren't as safe as they thought they were here. If Mellie wasn't already the most protective mother in the entire world, telling her this would definitely turn her into that.

He crawled into bed next to her, wrapping his arm around her stomach, running his hand over her tiny, almost non-existent, baby bump. She wasn't that pregnant, but he knew she was. And he knew there was a small bump there. He rubbed her stomach, sighing to himself as he laid his head on the pillow. He didn't sleep at all that night, just stared at his wife as she slept ever so peacefully.

Fitz couldn't figure out a good time to tell her. Every time he wanted to, he couldn't stand to hurt him, to turn her good mood into a terrible mood. But he finally decided to rip off the bandaid and he called her into his office.

"Mel? Come here, baby."

Mellie raised an eyebrow and closed his office door before walking over to him. He pulled her into his lap, and immediately Mellie was extremely confused. He smelled like scotch, but she brushed it off. "Mellie, I'm gonna tell you something...and you can react however you need to. You can cry, you can throw things, you can yell, and you can scream. Whatever you need to do, you do it. Because this is something that you need to know, and it's gonna hurt like hell..."

Mellie nodded, looking at her husband. "Okay..."

"It wasn't an accident that killed our son..." Fitz started, running his hand through Mellie's dark, thick curls. "Jerry was murdered." He told her, and Mellie's mouth dropped. She looked at him with tears in her bright blue eyes. "What I'm about to tell you...you can't repeat to anyone else, Mel. It's top secret information at the moment. And some of it may not make sense to you, and I apologize for that, but I'm unable to answer most of the questions that you'll have."

She nodded once more. "O-okay." She told him, her voice breaking as she spoke.

"Jake Ballard ordered Tom to kill our son...yes, our Tom." He held Mellie close, sighing as he kissed the top of her head. "I don't know why. But I'm getting to the bottom of it. And as soon as I can tell you something, I will." He took his wife's hand, squeezing it gently. "And if you need anything, anything at all, Mel, I'm here for you. You let me know whatever you need and I will get it for you...It's you and me. And our babies."

"You and me.." She mumbled, burying her face in Fitz's chest. She sobbed loudly, which was less than what Fitz had expected. He held her in his arms, rocking her slightly as he ran his hand through her hair, trying to calm her as best as he could. This wasn't going to be easy on any of them. Especially Mellie, considering that she was pregnant. He was going to have to keep an eye on her and make sure that anything she needed or wanted, she got. Any time that she needed to talk to him, he was available. He had to make sure that he was there for her because it wasn't like she hadn't felt bad enough about their son's death already.

"I love you." Fitz whispered over and over again as he held his wife. "I love you so so much, Mels."

"I love you too." Mellie responded quietly, trying to ignore the sharp pain that was building up in her stomach.


	30. Chapter 30

"Mrs. Grant, honey, you're having a miscarriage..." The doctor explained over the phone. Mellie was sitting in the bathroom, staring at the blood in her underwear. She sucked in a deep breath, letting out a quiet squeal as the doctor said those words to hers. How could anything get any worse at this point? "Come in when the pain stops...We'll have to perform a D&C when you come in."

It took a few seconds for Mellie to respond. "Okay. Thank you." She told her, trying to keep it together while she was on the phone. Once she hung up the phone was when she lost it, when she fell to the floor crying. She was sobbing hard, her face buried in her hands. She had already lost one child, wasn't one enough? Why was she losing another one? Why were her and Fitz always cursed with some kind of tragedy? Couldn't they ever be happy?

She clutched her stomach, sobbing even louder from the pain. She hadn't thought much of it when she was on Fitz's lap, crying about Jerry. She wasn't thinking that it was anything serious, that it was anything critical that had to do with the baby. If she had thought more about that, maybe she wouldn't be miscarrying now. Maybe she could have gotten to the doctor in time and prevented this. Maybe she could have saved her and Fitz's baby. This was her fault. If she wouldn't have been so selfish, she probably could have fixed this. She could have saved their child's life.

She was on the cold, hard floor for hours before Fitz found her. He had been looking for her for a while, and had finally decided to give up and take a shower. He walked in and looked at her, sighing quietly as he kneeled down next to her. Fitz ran his hand through her hair, shushing her quietly. She was staring at the wall, still crying, even more so now that Fitz was in there and touching her. She hadn't stopped. The tears had slowed, but she hadn't stopped crying. She didn't think she would ever stop crying.

"Baby, it's okay..." He whispered, lying down next to her and pulling her into his arms. No, it wasn't okay. Their son was dead. Their son was murdered by one of the men that they were supposed to trust with their lives. Their baby boy was murdered by one of the men that they were supposed to trust the most. "I wish I could say something to assure you of that...but I can't. I wish I could take your pain away but I know that I can't and that kills me, Mels.." It pained him to see her like this, to see her so hurt and so broken.

His eyes glanced over to the corner before looking back at Mellie. "Mels..." He whispered, looking down at his wife.

"I...I lost the baby, Fitz..." Mellie whispered quietly, swallowing hard.

Fitz just nodded, holding her close to him. He kissed her head and sighed. This was their last chance. There would be no convincing Mellie to try again, to try for another one. Not after this. This was their last chance for another baby. And that killed him. But right now he needed to be worried about Mellie and how she was feeling, not about whether they were going to be able to have another child or not. He needed to be worried about his wife and her emotions, and taking care of her. He needed to focus on Mellie.

"I need to go to the doctor." Mellie mumbled, sitting up and trying to pull herself together. She had a habit of that, of trying to act like she was okay, even though she was far from it. She had a habit of trying to hide her emotions instead of letting them show like she should. She knew that keeping everything inside wasn't good for her, but since that night, the night that Big Jerry raped her, she had kept everything inside and there was very little that she shared with anyone.

Fitz watched her. "Do you want me to go with you?" He questioned, looking at her. Mellie just shook her head.

"You have things to do, things to figure out..you don't want to be there when I get hard pieces of metal shoved inside me. It's pointless for you to go." Of course she wanted him there. Or course she wanted him to be there when she got the D&C. But he had to figure out more about the murder of their son. He had to stay at home and work and take care of the kids. She could do this by herself.

Mellie got up and got changed, trying to look as presentable as possible while also staying comfortable. She sighed to herself as she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She couldn't believe thy this was happening so quickly. She took a deep breath and Fitz pulled her into his arms, holding her close. "Shh...it'll be okay, baby. Call me if you need anything." He told her quietly, kissing her for a few seconds. "I love you." Fitz whispered before wiping her tears away.

"I know. I love you too." Mellie responded, sighing quietly as she pulled away from him. Teddy ran into the room, tugging at the bottom of Mellie's pants.

"Momma. Momma." Teddy whined, looking up at her.

"What's up, little man?" Mellie asked, trying to put on a happy face for her son.

"Me loves you." He told her, pulling her down to him. He kissed her and gave her a tight hug before letting go and running off, going back to his room.

Mellie watched him, dumbstruck. "This is why I love him...it's like he knows. It's like he knows something is wrong and he immediately comes to the rescue to fix it. And he barely even has to say or do anything to make me smile...all he has to do is just hug me and tell me he loves me." Mellie smiled a little. "And everything's alright. Everything is alright once he just says those three little words...my son can make everything better."

"He can, can't he?" Fitz smiled at his wife, kissing her cheek. "I'll come check on you after you get back. Go straight to bed, okay?"

Mellie nodded, looking at him. She faked a small smile before she left, slowly walking down the hallway.

She went into the office and waited for her doctor, who almost immediately got her into a room. She wanted to do an ultrasound, but Mellie was very reluctant. There was something about seeing her dead baby on a monitor that just didn't sit well with her. She didn't want to do that. But she agreed, as long as she didn't have to look. As long as she could look away, she was perfectly fine with that.

The doctor put the ultrasound gel on Mellie's stomach, and Mellie looked away from the monitor. She stared at the wall, sucking in a deep breath. She stopped paying attention to everything around her and just focused on that one spot on the wall that she was staring at. She was so extremely focused, but she was brought out of that trance when she heard the familiar thumping filling the room. "Mrs. Grant..." The doctor looked at Mellie, who still refused to look at the monitor. "Mrs. Grant." She repeated and finally, Mellie slowly turned her head to her. "Ma'am, you didn't miscarry...your baby is still alive. Your baby is still alive with a very strong heartbeat."

Tears came to Mellie's eyes as she spoke. Of course, she stopped listening after the good news. She heard the "still not out of the woods" and "need to be careful" and "at risk because of your age", but that was all she got out of the doctor's speech because she was just so excited at this point. She was so excited that her baby was still alive, that she hadn't lost her and Fitz's child, that with all of the terrible things going on right now, there was still some good. There was still something good happening. Not everything was bad at the moment.

The doctor handed her a copy of the sonogram and sent her home with instructions to be as careful as possible and not to push herself like she usually did. She wanted her to not stress as much, but when you were Mellie and the First Lady of the United States, that was nearly impossible.

Mellie went home and went to bed, lying down and closing her eyes. Fitz was in there within minutes, laying next to her. She didn't say anything as she reached over and opened the top drawer of her nightstand, grabbing the sonogram and handing it to Fitz without a word. Fitz looked at it before looking back at Mellie.

"We're still having a baby." She told him, smiling at her husband.

Fitz smiled and kissed Mellie's forehead. "We're still having a baby."


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Halloween chapter is going to be next :) Hopefully going to be writing that tonight!

"I like Derek."

"Derek?" Mellie asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think we should start picking names until we're completely out of the water. I'm only 7 weeks...we should wait at least 5 more. And even after that, we should probably wait until we know the sex."

Fitz nodded. "You're probably right. We'll wait. But I still like Derek for a boy."

"Me too. It just doesn't go with our other children's names. Fitzgerald, Karen, Theodore, Bellamy, Benjamin...They're all fancy. Derek on the other hand, I'm not so sure about."

Fitz shrugged slightly. "There's a first time for everything."

"You're right. We'll definitely put that on the list for when we discuss names. I actually really like it." Mellie smiled and kissed Fitz's cheek. "We'll ask the kids what they think in a few months. I want to hear what kind of names they like. It would be nice to include them in something like this."

Fitz nodded. "We'll ask them in a while. After we know for sure that there's no more miscarriage scares."

She nodded, looking down at the sonogram that was in her hand. It was the fifth time, and she still couldn't believe that there was a small child inside of her, that was was carrying a baby. It seemed so unreal to her. The fact that there was a baby, a baby that her and Fitz had made, inside of her, just didn't seem real.

And of course, she had carried his children before. But it wasn't like this before. Before, she had been raped. Before, her and Fitz weren't where they should've been in their relationship. Before, Teddy was a political move and they hated each other. Before, it was one drunken night in the Oval Office. But now, her and Fitz had fallen back in love. Her and Fitz were in a better place than they ever had been before. And this pregnancy was going to be different than the rest, because they were in a good place, because they were partners in a well-rounded partnership.

"Do you wanna go get lunch? We can go get the kids and find something to eat." Fitz asked his wife.

Mellie shook her head. "I'm not hungry. But we can go down so you and the kids can eat."

"Mels, you need to eat, baby..." Fitz told her, letting out a sigh. She was so stubborn. He loved her to death, but she was so damn stubborn.

"I'm not hungry, honey. I ate breakfast a while ago and I'm still full from that. I'll have a snack before dinner, okay?"

He could live with that. "Okay." Fitz agreed, standing up and taking her hand into his. He led her to Teddy's room, where Teddy immediately jumped into his mother's arms, and then they went to the twins' room. Fitz carried the two babies down to the kitchen, and Mellie carried Teddy, the two of them getting plenty of stares from everyone in the hallways. It wasn't as rare anymore, but it was still a strange occurrence to see the First Family all together when it wasn't for an interview or something of that nature. It was even more rare to see genuine smiles and real laughter coming from that same family.

"Momma?" Teddy asked, looking up at his mother. "Can wes go bowling?"

Mellie looked down at him, nodding. "After we eat, we can, okay? We'll eat and we'll put the twins down for a nap, and then me and you can go bowling, okay?"

"Daddy goes too?"

"You can ask him, buddy."

Teddy looked up at Fitz. "Daddy, yous go bowl with momma and mes?"

Fitz kissed his son's cheek and nodded. "I will, little man. You and mommy against me, okay?"

Teddy grinned widely, nodding his head. He loved being able to spend time with his parents, especially when it was just them. He loved his siblings, but he loved being alone and spending time with Mellie and Fitz more than anything else. "Otays!"

Fitz just smiled, ruffling Teddy's hair. He loved seeing him so happy and cheerful. He loved seeing his children in such a good mood. There was nothing that he loved more than that. Except maybe seeing Mellie happy, but he really couldn't decide what he loved more.

They went into the kitchen and Fitz told the chef to make them all some grilled cheese, which was him and Teddy's favorite. The two of them could pig out on grilled cheese and eat at least three, each and every day. Mellie thought they were crazy, but then again, they were boys.

The five of them sat down, Teddy making sure that he was as close to Mellie as possible, and that neither of the twins could get near her. Mellie was his mommy and the twins weren't allowed to come close to her. Teddy forbid that.

Bellamy just looked at Teddy for a second before lying down and laying her head in his lap. Teddy watched her and Mellie was worried for a moment until her baby boy melted her heart. He leaned down and kissed his baby sister's head before sitting back up and playing with her hair.

He loved Bellamy. He wasn't as much of a fan of Ben, but he loved his little sister. Any time that Ben was picking on Bella or she was crying or upset, Teddy would come to the rescue for his sissy. Ben on the other hand, he loved as well, but nowhere near as much as Bellamy.

Fitz and Mellie fed Teddy and the twins before taking them both back to their room for naps. Luckily, they went down easily, much like they did every day, and then they took Teddy to go bowling. Mellie had taken him once right after Jerry died, and Teddy had gotten addicted. He loved bowling. And for a toddler, he was pretty good at it.

"Teddy, go get your ball buddy." Mellie told her son, setting him down on the ground. She picked up her and Fitz's favorite balls and waited for Teddy, who came running over to them with a 6 pound ball in his hands.

"Mes don't want the bump thingies." Teddy told Mellie and she just nodded, telling one of the staff members not to put the bumpers up. Teddy started running toward the lane and he threw his ball, grinning as it rolled down the aisle, knocking down pins.

Mellie smiled as she watched him. "Good job, baby boy!" She picked him up and pulled him into her arms, kissing his cheeks. Teddy giggled, turning his head and kissing his mother's nose.

They played two games, where Fitz lost badly to both Mellie and Teddy. By that time, Teddy was cranky and was begging for Mellie to go take a nap with him. She agreed, considering she was awfully tired. This pregnancy was really making her sick and tired. She already wasn't a huge fan of it, but her little miracle Grant baby had already made it through an almost-miscarriage, so she would gladly put up with the sickness and tiredness.

Mellie took Teddy up to her room and stripped him down to his diaper. The second she laid him down, he was out. She watched him for a few minutes before lying down next to him and playing with his hair. Fitz came in a few minutes later after he had checked on the twins, and laid down next to Mellie and Teddy, kissing the top of Mellie's head.

"When he wakes up, we need to ask him what he wants to be for Halloween and get his measurements so we can make sure that he gets what he wants before it's too late."

Mellie nodded. "We do. And we need to figure out what we're gonna be as well."

"We'll talk after you wake up from your nap." Fitz told her, watching as she laid down, curling up close to Teddy and closing her eyes. She was asleep within minutes and Fitz just laid there, watching his gorgeous wife and perfect son sleep.


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews! Please keep them coming! I love to read about what you think :) Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I had to say this after 32 chapters, but if you don't like what I write, then don't read it. And especially don't waste your time reading 32 chapters of a fanfiction if you're only going to criticize and try to bring the writer down. Keep your opinion to yourself if it's rude and degrading. However, once again, thank you to those who read and review. I really appreciate it. (:

Mellie's getting Teddy and the twins dressed, none of which will stay still. She sighs to herself as she struggles to get Teddy in his Superman costume, and luckily, Fitz comes in after a few minutes and helps her. Her patience level has been very low recently, and Fitz knows that, so he tries to help whenever he can. He gets the twins dressed in their lion and giraffe costumes, and looks over at Mellie, who's finally got Teddy dressed.

"You go get ready, okay?" Fitz told Mellie, who just nodded and went into her room. Fitz put the kids in the twins' room before going after her. She was in the closet, getting dressed in her costume, which matched Fitz's. They were going as Fred and Wilma Flintstone, chosen by Teddy. "I can't wait to get you out of that costume..." Fitz smirked as he walked in the closet, wrapping his arms around her.

Mellie just rolled her eyes as she fixed her dress, going into the bathroom to do her hair and makeup. Fitz got dressed in the closet and came into the bathroom, smirking at her in the mirror. "What are you smirking about?" Mellie asked, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at her husband.

"How amazing you look in that." He responded, walking toward her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You look beautiful, baby." Fitz told her, kissing her neck and gently rubbing her stomach.

Mellie slowly closed her eyes, smiling as she felt his lips on her skin. "Thank you, baby..." She whispered. "You look amazing, too. We're gonna get lots of candy tonight."

"You think so?" He asked as he pulled away from her, rubbing her sides to straighten out her dress. "Even if I don't, I'm sure I'll get my share of dessert after we get home." Fitz winked at her through the mirror and she just smiled, shaking her head slightly.

"You're awfully optimistic there, Fitzgerald." She turned around and looked at him. "Why do you have any thought in your head that you're going to be getting any?"

Fitz continued to smirk as he looked at his wife. He ran his hands to her back, slowly running them down and resting them on her ass. He squeezed gently and looked at her. "Because I know my wife. And I know me. And I have a feeling that I'm gonna be able to make love to my beautiful and amazing wife."

Mellie smiled, running her hand through his hair. "Compliments won't help you. But we'll see how the night goes." She kissed his lips softly and the two of them held each other for a few minutes before they walked out and went to get the kids.

"Momma, me change me mind." Teddy looked up at Mellie as she picked him up, and he wrapped his arms around her neck. "Mes no wanna be Superman. Mes wanna be better superhero."

Mellie raised an eyebrow as she rubbed Teddy's back. "A better superhero? Well, what do you wanna be, baby?"

"Mes wanna be daddy. Daddy the best superhero in the worlds." Teddy told her and Fitz looked at his son, his heart melting as Teddy spoke. That was the absolute sweetest thing that anyone had ever heard in his entire life. His baby boy wanted to be him for Halloween. His baby boy thought that he was the best superhero in the entire world. And that made him feel absolutely amazing.

Mellie smiled and kissed her son's head. "Well let's go get you changed then." She carried Teddy to his room and got him changed into his tuxedo, her heart dropping slightly as she laid eyes on the tuxedo that Teddy had worn to Jerry's funeral. She took a deep breath, fighting back tears as she buttoned up Teddy's suit.

"Momma?" Teddy asked, looking up at his mother. "Yous okay?"

It'd been a while since someone had asked her that. She had been playing okay for the most part. She had been better recently. She hadn't been missing Jerry as much recently because she had been so occupied in everything else. She felt somewhat guilty, but it was better that way. That way, she wasn't thinking about her dead son every day. That way, she wasn't grieving and crying all the time. It was better for her to be distracted. But there were times where something triggered her and she thought about Jerry. And when that happened, she would more than likely break down and fall apart.

Mellie nodded, tears rolling down her face as she kissed Teddy's cheeks. "I'm okay, baby...just thinking about your big brother."

"Ohs. Me misses hims, mommy.." Teddy whispered, looking up at her with his bright blue eyes.

She sighed, nodding her head as she wiped tears from her face. "I miss him too, baby. I miss him so so much." Mellie wrapped her arms around her son, holding him close to her.

"Mes takes care of you, mommy." Teddy told her as he wiped all of the tears from her face. "Don't crys. Yous too pretty to crys." He planted a wet kiss on her cheek.

Mellie smiled through her tears, nodding slightly. "Thank you, baby. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Teddy stood up and held out his hand for Mellie. "Let's go, baby." Teddy told her, grinning from ear to ear as he walked hand in hand with his mother back to where Fitz was with the twins.

"Are you trying to act like daddy by calling me baby?" Mellie asked, smiling and waving at everyone as they walked down the hallway. Teddy nodded, the smile on his face not fading.

Mellie and Fitz left with the kids, taking them around the neighborhood until all three kids were passed out asleep. They had plenty of candy, enough to last them months, and Mellie and Fitz were greatly surprised by how much candy they ended up having altogether. They took the kids back to the house and put them in bed before going to bed themselves. They were both almost too tired to even change into their pajamas, so Fitz's predictions didn't end up being true. But they were still content with just cuddling with one another as they fell asleep.

"Fitz?" Mellie whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Yes Mels?"

"I love you."

"I know, baby. I love you too." Fitz responded tiredly.

Mellie sat up slightly and looked at him. "Fitz, no. I love you. I'm so in love with you. I'm even more in love with you now than I have ever been in my entire life. I love you so much. I fall in love with you more and more every single day, and I honestly don't even know how that's possible. Because I look at you and I watch you and I spend time with you every day, and every little thing that you do and every word that you say to me just makes me smile and makes me feel so special and so good...And you still, to this day, give me butterflies. I am just so completely in love with you, Fitz. And I could tell you every second of every day, and i still don't think that you could ever realize how much I truly love you."

Fitz sat up as well, looking into Mellie's bright blue eyes. "I love you too, Mels. More than anything in this entire world." He kissed her slowly, holding her in her arms. "And I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life with you and with our babies...I am such a lucky man."

"And I'm a lucky woman, Fitz." She laid her head on his chest, falling asleep with a huge smile on her face.


	33. Chapter 33

"I look fat." Mellie mumbled, looking in the mirror in her and Fitz's closet. She turns to the side to get a different angle and frowns, letting out a sigh.

Fitz shook his head as he watched Mellie. "You're not fat, Mel, you're pregnant. And you look beautiful. Especially in that dress."

"Are you saying that I don't look beautiful all the time?" She suggested, turning around and looking at her husband. He could never win, could he?

"No, Mel, I'm not saying that, sweetheart. I'm saying that you look absolutely amazing in that dress. You look beautiful all the time, but you look even more beautiful in that." He ran his hand through Mellie's dark brown curls, looking at her. "I didn't mean it as if to suggest that you're not beautiful all the time. You are beautiful all the time."

Mellie nodded as she ran her hand down her stomach, sighing quietly. "The public is just going to think that I'm fat. We can't tell them I'm pregnant yet, so they're just going to think that I'm fat…I can't have them thinking that I'm fat, Fitz. They're going to wonder things."

"You're thinking too much into this, sweetheart." He told her as he tied his tie. "You're barely even showing yet. Nobody is going to notice. You look fine. You're worrying too much."

"Yeah…Yeah. I'm just worrying too much." She mumbled, trying to convince herself as she put her pearl necklace on. "I'm sorry. You know how I get when I'm pregnant. Especially since we've been in this house…" Mellie sighed, turning and facing Fitz. "Thank you for putting up with me. Not just now but every other time I've been pregnant. I know I'm really difficult and not too easy to get along with, and I really appreciate that you put up with me and don't get mad at me."

That wasn't true. He was only like this during her last pregnancy and her first pregnancy. He hadn't been there much when she was pregnant with Teddy, and their relationship was slightly rocky when she was pregnant with Karen, so things weren't as good there either. It was just now, when she was pregnant with Jerry, and when she was pregnant with the twins, that he had been as kind and supportive. And he hated that he couldn't change that.

Fitz nodded, looking at himself in the mirror. "It's the least I could do, Mels…You put up with me all the time. And besides, you have to subject yourself to carrying our child for nine months…The least that I could do is be supportive of you and assist you through everything. We're partners. I'm not going to leave you to deal with it by yourself, and I'm especially not going to argue with you and try to put you down."

He had done that before. Especially during her pregnancy with Teddy. But they tried not to think about that. Neither of them really wanted to remember how rocky and difficult their relationship was when she was pregnant with Teddy. They didn't like thinking about it because it usually brought back painful memories and it usually upset them to the point where it was nearly impossible to think about anything else.

They finished getting ready, not wanting to discuss anything more about her pregnancy and the way that he treated her, because it was obvious that they both had their minds on her pregnancy with Teddy. Fitz took Mellie's hand when they were done and he walked through the house with her, walking down to the car. He opened the door for her and let her get in before getting in next to her. "You excited?" He asked, turning his head and looking at Mellie.

"Actually, yes. I don't think we've had a date night in years…"

"It was before you got pregnant with Jerry…We were staying in Asheville and I really wanted to take you to this nice place that I'd heard about. It was in Charlotte, so it was over an hour drive, but you were perfectly fine with it because that gave us a lot of time to just spend together and talk. We went to…"

"Fleming's Steakhouse. I remember that. You wanted so badly just to take me out for a nice dinner. Your father had just called you and complained about something you did and you were in the worst mood…But you were so adamant about taking me out, even though you were upset…" Mellie added.

He nodded, reaching over and squeezing her hand. "It was late October…And you were freezing. I tried to give you my coat but you refused. And then you had pneumonia for the next week and a half."

"You should've tried harder." Mellie teased, smiling at him as she leaned over and kissed his lips softly. He kissed her back, holding her close to him. "I miss how our life was before we got into all of this political business." She sighed quietly, laying her head down on Fitz's shoulder.

"Just a few more years, baby…And we can try to get back to normal. We can find a nice quiet place in Asheville, close to your parents. And we can spend can take care of Teddy and Bells and Ben and the new baby and give them the normal childhood that they deserve." He reached for her hand and gently squeezed it. "But for now we should try to cherish the time that we have here. Because we're gonna miss it when we don't have it anymore."

Mellie nodded. "I wanted to…I want to run. But I think I want a few years of peace and quiet before I do. I want to give the kids some time away from the crazy political life. And I want some time away from the crazy political life."

The two of them got out of the car when they got to the restaurant and were led to a table in the back. Their secret service detail followed and Mellie sat down, Fitz sitting down next to her. "We have to try to do this more often. We just sat down and I'm already really enjoying this. Just us. I love the kids but it's nice to have some alone time with you." Mellie admitted, smiling at her husband.

"And we have alone time when we get home, too. Teddy's spending the night with Ella and the nanny is watching the twins."

"I thought I fired the nanny."

Fitz laughed and shook his head. "No, Mels, you can't just fire the nanny."

"Well good thing because I want to spend tonight with you. Just you. No babies running in the room and jumping on the bed. Just you." She smiled as Fitz ran his hand up her leg, resting it on her upper thigh. Oh, this was going to be a long dinner.

She hadn't listened to a word that anyone had said to her throughout the entire meal. She was too focused on Fitz's hand drawing hearts on her thigh and teasing her every few minutes by softly, almost painfully, rubbing her through her silk panties. It was impossible to pay attention to anything else at that point.

The car ride home was just as, if not more, painfully difficult as the dinner. This time no one was watching and Fitz could tease her as much as he wanted. He pulled her into his lap, running his hands down her back and resting them on her ass. "All I can think about…is getting you home." He whispered, gripping her bottom and smirking as one of his hands slipped under her dress.

The second that they got home, Mellie practically jumped out of the car and ran up to their bedroom. Fitz laughed as he watched her, following and closing the door behind them. He pulled Mellie into his arms, kissing her lips passionately. They undressed each other quickly, and Fitz pushed her down onto the bed, hovering over her. He kissed down her body, gripping her thighs and spreading her legs apart as he leaned down, burying his head in between her legs and slowly licking her clit. He wanted to see her squirm.

And squirm she did. "Fiiiiitzzz." Mellie whispered as she wiggled under him. "Stop teasing. I need you." He sucked on her clit for a few seconds, taking in the sweet taste of her wetness, before nodding and crawling on top of her. Wasting no time, he entered her, smirking as he watched her gasp and moan. He moved slowly at first, giving her a few seconds before he sped up. Mellie wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss her. They kissed one another sloppily, and Mellie wrapped her legs around his waist so that he could go even deeper inside of her. She arched her back, moaning loudly into his mouth.

Fitz moved faster, holding her close to him as he got closer and closer. He held off until she came, until she was screaming his name and her body was shaking. Once he knew that she was finished, he thrust into her a few more times and let himself go. "Ohhh Liv…" He moaned as he shot his load deep inside of her.

Mellie froze, stopping dead in her tracks. "What the hell did you just call me?"


	34. Chapter 34

"Mellie..."

"Don't speak to me."

"Mels."

"Don't call me that."

"Mellie, baby..."

"Go to hell."

Fitz sighed, looking at her. She was lying on her side, facing away from him. The sheet was pulled up over her chest and she was holding it tight, as if she was insecure about how she looked, now, all of a sudden. Fitz stared at her for a second before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and pulling on his boxers.

He got out of bed and went to the closet, getting dressed in a pair of pajama pants and his Navy t-shirt. He ran his hand through his hair, sighing to himself. He had messed up bad. It was bad enough that he was thinking about Liv while having sex with Mellie. It was even worse that he had said her name. Mellie was never going to forgive him. He didn't expect her to.

He walked back into the bedroom, seeing Mellie in the exact same position that she was in when he had gotten up. He grabbed his pillow and looked at her, biting down on his bottom lip. "I'm sorry, Mels."

"I said go to hell, Fitzgerald." She responded simply, her voice breaking. She was trying to hide it, but it was difficult. She was hurt. She was extremely hurt. Why would he call her Liv? Why was he even thinking about Liv?

He watched her for a second before leaving the room, going into his oldest son's room and laying down on the bed. He stared at the wall in the dark, taking a deep breath as he looked in front of him. He had seen Olivia the night before. She had been out trick or treating with Jake and with their…baby. For some reason, that had been eating at Fitz. He didn't care about her, he didn't want her back. He wanted nothing to do with her. But the thought of her being with someone else, the thought of her having a child with someone else, now that ate at him. That bothered him. He couldn't exactly explain why, but for some reason, it really got to him.

He hadn't even been thinking of Olivia while he was having sex with Mellie. Her name just happened to come out. He couldn't even explain how it had happened, so he knew that he definitely wasn't going to fix things with Mellie any time soon.

Fitz sighed as he laid there all night, unable to fall asleep. His mind was too full of thoughts.

Mellie couldn't sleep either. She was too busy sitting up crying. She couldn't believe that Fitz had ever said Olivia's name near her, much less while they were being intimate with one another. She curled up in a ball as she thought, her self-esteem getting lower and lower with each and every minute that passed by. After a few hours of restless tossing and turning as she attempted to fall asleep, she got up and got dressed, throwing some clothes in a bag before leaving the room and going to Blair House. She didn't want to be anywhere near Fitz.

In the morning, Fitz got out of bed and went into their room to take a shower, surprised when Mellie wasn't in bed. He checked in the bathroom, even more confused when she wasn't in there. He brushed it off and took a shower, going to his office. When he hadn't heard from her all day, he decided that it was time to talk to her Chief of Staff to see where she was.

When he found out that Mellie was at Blair House, he walked through the tunnels, going in and sighing when he saw her lying on the couch with a bottle of Hooch sitting on the table in front of her. He didn't say anything about it, knowing that nearly anything he said to her was going to piss her off. And he didn't want to get off on the wrong foot. Not right now.

"Didn't I tell you to go to hell?"

Fitz sighed and walked over closer to his wife. "Mellie, let me explain…"

She sat up, looking at him. "What in the hell is there to explain, Fitz? There is absolutely no excuse for why you referred to me as 'Liv'. None. You were thinking about her while we were having sex. You were thinking about the mistress who you've apparently been over for over a year while you were making love with your wife. What excuse is there for that?"

"There's not an excuse. I'm sorry. It was a mistake, Mellie, and I will spend every day of my life trying to make it up to you. I haven't been thinking about her. I saw her the night we took the kids trick or treating and I just…It hit me badly, Mel. I'm sorry. I don't think about her when I'm with you, so I don't know why that came out of my mouth…"

Mellie just shook her head, letting out a quiet sigh. "Go to hell, Fitz."

"Is that all that you have to say to me? Is that all that you can come up with?" Fitz shot back, looking at his wife.

She shook her head once more. "No. How about you go screw yourself?"

"How about you come up with something better to say instead of hiding how you're feeling and being a bitch?"

"How about you don't call the mother of your children a bitch?" Mellie glared at him, fire in her eyes.

"How about you actually tell me how you're feeling?"

"How I'm feeling?" Mellie's mouth dropped and she shook her head. "How I'm feeling? I'm feeling like a failure. I'm feeling like a failure as a wife and as a lover. I'm feeling like an all-around failure because I can't even pleasure my husband better than his mistress can…could. I'm feeling like a failure because I can't get my husband to focus on me when we're sleeping together…" She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Fitz, I am hurt. I am beyond hurt. I can't even begin to explain how hurt I am. Maybe you weren't thinking about her, maybe you haven't thought about her…But I thought we were over this. I thought that maybe I was never going to have to hear another word about her again. But instead, I'm hearing her name while my husband is coming inside of me…And that's the absolute worst time to be hearing her name." She paused for a moment.

"It would be bad enough to hear you talk about her again, to hear you say her name. It's worse to have to hear you call me her name. It's the absolute worst shot to the heart to have you call me her name while we're having sex. That's how I'm feeling, Fitz…"

Fitz didn't know whether to hold her or just continue sitting there, but he figured it was best to stay where he was. He didn't want to wrap his arms around her and scare her away, especially when she had just opened up to him. She never did that. "Mellie, baby…I didn't mean to. I told you that. And I know that's the biggest, most shittiest excuse ever. And I wish that I had a reason. I wish that I had an excuse to give you, but I don't, Mel. It just came out. But you are the one that I want. You are my wife. You are my everything. You're the only one that I ever want to be close to like that again. You're the one that I want to fall asleep next to every night and wake up with every morning. You are my world. And I hope that I can convince you of that."

He sighed. "I know I've given you no good reason to believe me…I know that you've doubted me in the past and that I've given you more than enough reason to, but don't give up on me…I hate that I said that. I hate that I hurt you. I hate that I made you think that you're not good enough for me, that you can't please me like she can. Because God, Mel…That's so far from true. You are better than her in each and every way possible. You are who I want. You are who I love. And I'm sorry that I screwed up all those years. I'm sorry that I made you believe that you weren't good enough. I'm sorry that I did this to you, and I'm sorry that I've hurt you so badly…"

"You have no idea how bad it hurts, Fitz…How bad it hurts me physically and emotionally, every single time that I have to hear her name. I know that she helped us and I know that she is the main reason that we're in this house, but she's done more bad that good…I almost lost you because of her. And to even hear you, or anyone for that matter, to hear anyone speaking of her, it hurts me. And I know it's my own insecurities, and I know it's my jealousy issues, but I can't help it…I can't help being insecure when I think about her because you nearly divorced me. You nearly left me for her. You nearly left me for a house in Vermont with her and a bunch of beautiful babies…"

Fitz nodded, sighing slightly as he listened to her. "I know, Mel…And I hate that I did that to you. I hate that I turned you into a person that can't even hear her name without feeling insecure. I hate that I've belittled you so much that you have to worry every time that anyone mentions her." He reached over and softly rubbed her back, surprised when she didn't move away from his touch. "We've obviously got a lot to keep working on, Mellie. But it's worth it. Anything is worth it for you. And I don't ever want you to think that there's any chance in the world that I will ever leave you. You're stuck with me, Mellie Grant…" He reached for her hand with his free hand and squeezed it softly. "You are my world, you're my everything. You and our children, you six are the most important things to me. And it kills me to think that I didn't realize that sooner. Mellie, Liv clouded my judgment. No, I wasn't 100% happy with our marriage before she came along, but that was my father's fault…That was my fault. That had nothing to do with you. I should've noticed that something was wrong a hell of a long time before you had to tell me what happened. I should've realized that you had changed before you had Jerry, that your 'having a baby changed me' excuse was invalid because you had changed before that…I should have paid more attention to you."

Mellie just nodded, resting her head against Fitz's shoulder and gently squeezing his hand. "It's okay. That's the past. My insecurities are just something that I'm going to have to learn to deal with. I'll get over it eventually. I know that you're mine. I know that nothing's going to come between us. I'm just always going to be worried in the back of my mind." She sighed and Fitz nodded, leaning over and kissing the top of her head.

"I know. And I'm sorry. But I promise you, I swear to you that it's gonna be okay. We're going to be okay, Mels." He whispered, continuing to rub her back as he spoke to her. "I love you more than the world, baby. It's you and me. You and me and our beautiful children." Fitz smiled. "And our beautiful children are more beautiful than any children could ever be."

Mellie smiled, closing her eyes. "I love you too. And you're right. They really are, aren't they?"

"So we're good?"

She nodded and squeezed his hand tight, her thumb running over his wedding ring. "We're good."


	35. Chapter 35

**_A/N: This chapter has 1976 words. 1976. Get it? xD Sorry, I had to. Keep up with the reviews! I had the most reviews on 33, which I absolutely adored. I love reading about what y'all think, and I love suggestions as well! Thank you so much! You're all in for a major surprise in this chapter!_**

_"Son, I want to take you to dinner." Big Jerry told his son, who was sitting on the couch, reading a book. "Get up and let's go."_

_Fitz just sighed, not asking any questions as he got up from the couch, going down the hall and into his bedroom to get ready. It was odd enough that his father was in Boston, in his apartment, and even more awkward that he wanted to take Fitz out to dinner. He had to want something. He said that he was in town on business, but as a Senator from California, he had no business in the entire state of Massachusetts, much less in Boston. _

_He walked back out after about ten minutes in a white collared shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. "Ready?" Jerry asked and Fitz nodded as the two of them walked out of the house and out to Jerry's car. When they walked into the tavern, Frank's Tavern, Jerry told the hostess who he was, and she led them back to a table, where a young woman with dark brown hair was sitting in a booth with a man. Jerry introduced the man as an old college buddy of his, Jim Wyatt, and introduced the woman, one of Jim's clerks that he had just happened to bring along, as Melody Young. _

_Fitz and Jerry sat down, Fitz across from Melody, and Jerry across from Jim. The two older men talked, and Melody just listened, a little too shy to want to say anything at all, especially to the attractive man across from her. Eventually, the two older men got up and went to the bar, leaving Fitz and Melody by themselves._

_"So…Melody." Fitz said, looking up at the woman in front of him._

_"Call me Mellie. So, Fitzgerald…Tell me a little about yourself."_

_"Call me Fitz-"_

_The night went on. Mellie was bright, and she was charming. And the two of them hit it off. It was a while before Fitz had realized what really went on that night, before he realized that it wasn't a coincidence that Mellie had been there that night. It was planned, it was set up. Big Jerry had paid for Mellie. He had struck a deal with Jim and he sold Mellie to Jerry. It was just shy of prostitution, the only difference being that he hadn't paid for a woman to have sex with, he had paid for the woman in her entirety. _

_He had this thing about breeding. Big Jerry had this thing about breeding, breeding like people were discussing racehorses instead of women. Which was ridiculous, because his father worked the docks his whole life. But, they say there's no snob bigger than new money, and the Grant's money stank of new. But Mellie's blood was blue, Mayflower blue, D.A.R. blue. Sure, there was some slave trading in her background, her granddaddy ran liquor. But old money meant something to Big Jerry._

_Mellie was a thoroughbred racehorse. You can play the majors, and there she was. It wasn't even a blind date. It was a merger. They sold her to him. They made a deal, and they shook hands. Fitz often wonders, did she know what was happening? Was he the only one naive enough to think that her being there was a coincidence? It didn't matter. Big Jerry got what he paid for. Scheme worked like gangbusters._

_ "He's hated me ever since he was a kid." Big Jerry mumbled as he poured himself a drink. "I'm a decent father! My father used to beat me. I don't beat him. I'm a decent father, right?" He questioned as he handed Mellie a glass._

_Mellie nodded, taking the tumbler from him and nodding. "Yes, you are."_

_"Boys, you do…You do what's best for them, and they don't appreciate it. Yeah, sure, I slept around a bit. I like pretty girls. But his mother never knew. Before she died, she didn't know. And he holds it against me, Saint Fitz."_

_"Well, whatever it is you're fighting about now, I'm sure we can find a way to make it right. We have to, if we want to get this campaign to happen." Mellie told him, trying to hint that they needed to get along if Fitz ever wanted any chance at becoming governor._

_"I'm gonna tell you something that fewer than 20 people in this world are aware of. Do you remember Global World flight 5-2-2?"_

_Mellie nodded. "Of course. What a tragedy."_

_"Yeah, Fitz shot it down." Jerry told her simply as he took a sip of his drink._

_"I…Flight 5-2-2?"_

_Big Jerry nodded. "Mm-hmm."_

_"Fitz was in the Gulf." Mellie argued with him._

_"No, he wasn't. We had rock-solid intel. There was a…a dirty bomb on board, and he was off the coast of Iceland. He got his orders, and he shot it down."_

_"There were hundreds of people on that plane."_

_"Did they all die?" Jerry asked rhetorically. "Yeah, they did. But, hell, they would have died anyway, if that plane had reached its target. It could have taken out half of London. Could have started World War III."_

_Mellie was completely and utterly shocked. "They said there was a mechanical failure."_

_"Well, that was a little exercise in C.Y.A." Big Jerry chuckled as he sat down next to Mellie. "Cover your ass. You think the United States government could shoot down a commercial airline and just say, "Oh, sorry for the collateral damage. Sorry that we killed grandma twenty five minutes early"?" Mellie put her face in her hands as he spoke. "No, even if Hitler himself was on board, the lawsuits would have dragged out for centuries. And don't even get me started on the internationals." She stared in front of her, pinching her nose slightly and listening to what her father in law had to say. ""Mechanical failure", that's what you call it. And you know what it means, unless you're naive." He sighed. "You know, that boy's never been grateful one day in his life for what he's got, what he's been given. He's just too sensitive. He's got too many feelings. And that's why he will never win."_

_He looked at Mellie for a moment. "Good God, you're a beautiful woman." He whispered, and Mellie sighed._

_"Jerry." Mellie warned him, watching as he placed his hand on her knee. "Okay, I don't think-" _

_"Oh, shh, shh, shh…" He whispered as she struggled to remove his hand, and he fought back to keep it there._

_"Stop! Jerry, stop!" Mellie yelled as Jerry put his hands on her, and she fought to push him away from her. _

_He pulled her to him, her fists on his chest as he looked into her eyes. "Do you really want me to stop? Hmm? Hmm?"_

_Jerry smiled at her and leaned in toward her, kissing her neck, ignoring the gasps coming from his daughter-in-law's mouth. "No! Stop!" He pushed her down onto the couch, climbing on top of her. She pushed him away, managing to get him off of her, but only for a second. "Stop! Aah! Aah!" Big Jerry pushed her back down, wasting no time as one hand pulled her closer to him, and the other hand wandered down to forcefully pull her dress up. "No! No! No!" Mellie screamed as Jerry grunted, quickly trying to undo his belt. "Uhh! Uhh!" _

_Mellie whimpered, going completely blank as Jerry continued on. Her mouth dropped and she stared at the ceiling, waiting for it to be over, waiting for him to finish what he was doing. Fighting wasn't worth it. He wasn't going to stop._

_ Mellie walked into her and Fitz's bedroom, trying to be as quiet as possible as she set her shoes down next to the door. She just had to make it through the room and to the bathroom. She just had to do that so that she could take a shower and wash him off of her. "Mels? Where you been?"_

_Damnit. "Uh I was talking to my father on the phone…" She told him, her voice breaking slightly._

_Fitz sat up and looked at her. "In Asheville?"_

_Mellie nodded, looking the other way. She refused to look at him. "Yeah, he was up late. He wanted to say "hey" to his baby girl."_

_"Well, come to bed."_

_"I really just want to take a shower first." Please let her take a shower. She wanted nothing more than to wash Fitz's father off of her._

_"No, come here." Fitz told her, trying to get her to come lay next to him._

_"No, I really need…" She argued. _

_"No, come here." He said, pulling her down onto the bed and into his arms as she walked over to him. He kissed her cheek and she just laid there, in shock. "We should just go home tomorrow. Screw the governor's mansion. Let's just…Go home." He couldn't see her face. She could make any facial expression she wanted, she just had to maintain her body language. She had to keep still so that he couldn't make out that anything was wrong. She could make any face, she could do anything with her face since he couldn't see it. But everything else, she had to keep in control._

_"Yeah, let's do that." Mellie told him, keeping her response short so that her voice didn't break._

_"Just once…Just once I wish my father would apologize and be on my side. Just once. If he did that…If he just admitted," She was trying so hard not to cry, to keep her breathing steady. It was difficult, but she was managing it. "I think I'd make a hell of a governor."_

_"Yeah, you would." Fitz smiled to himself and kissed her temple, not noticing how absolutely broken his wife truly was._

_"A mother is standing on the sidewalk, choking. She's, uh, swallowed a penny accidentally, and it's lodged in her throat. A man in a suit comes by, gives her the Heimlich, and out pops the penny. Well, the the woman says, "Gosh darn, I can't thank you enough." And the guy in the suit said, "Oh, oh no, I'm not a doctor. I'm from the I.R.S.", and he snatched the penny and he ran off."_

_ "Governor? Fitz, you all right?" Olivia asks as she walks up to Fitz, who looks extremely upset._

_"My father had a heart attack and died 20 minutes ago." He says in the most monotone voice._

_ Olivia walked up to Fitz, who was standing in the back yard, chopping wood with an axe. "It was a very nice funeral." She says to break the ice. "I liked what you said about your father."_

_Fitz stayed focused on the wood. "It was a lie. The story about the dog he got me for my 10th birthday, I made it up. 'Cause you can't get up at your father's funeral and tell the story about how you sat outside his office door on your 10th birthday and listened to him bang his secretary." He grunted as he chopped another piece. "I'm not sad. I'm relieved. I'm _**_free_**_." _

He's sitting in his office, writing something on a file that Cyrus had brought in a few hours before. He hears the door open, but doesn't look up. It takes a second before someone speaks. "Son." Fitz hears, but he's pretty sure he's dreaming. He knows that voice, he knows who's behind that voice. But there's no way that that man is in his office. That man is dead, he died 12 days before the election, before he was elected president. He had a heart attack and he died. There's no way in hell that that man is standing in his office. But when he looks up, he knows that he couldn't be more than wrong.

"Dad."


	36. Chapter 36

"Dad. What the hell are you doing here?" Fitz stood up and walked over toward his father, clenching his fists as he looked at him. "You're supposed to be dead." It was taking everything that he had not to hit him, not to beat the absolute shit out of him right now. He had raped his wife, he had ruined his marriage. He had hurt his wife to the point where she was scared to let Fitz touch her. And he needed to pay for that. But Fitz was trying to keep his cool. Just for now.

Big Jerry chuckled loudly, watching his son. "Well obviously I'm not, son. I'm standing here, aren't I?" He couldn't believe that Fitz was still so dense, even so many years later. Of course he wasn't dead, he was standing in Fitz's office, the Oval Office. He couldn't be doing that it he were dead, could he? Jerry sighed to himself as he thought about how even after his death, Fitz couldn't live without him. He couldn't be a man without him.

"You faked your death? Is that what happened?"

Jerry just clapped slowly, nodding his head at Fitz. "Bravo, son. Bravo. You've figured out the puzzle. And it only took you, what? 10 minutes?"

"Why?" Fitz questioned, his voice dry and emotionless.

"I have my reasons."

"Just like you have your reasons for raping my wife?"

Big Jerry froze, and it felt as if the entire world froze around them. The room got cold, and for the first time in his life, Jerry was speechless. He couldn't think of a word to say. He couldn't think of a snarky comeback, of a rude response, he was just completely blank and at a dead end when it came to what to say to his son. "Things got a little out of hand that night."

Fitz just stared at him. "You don't say! You forced yourself on my wife while I was upstairs! You not only made a move on your son's wife, but you attacked her, you continued to rip her clothes off and force yourself inside of her after she told you no! You're a sick bastard, Jerry!"

"You watch it, boy. Don't you dare talk to your father like that."

Fitz shook his head. "No. No. You don't get to call yourself my father. You stopped being my father when you screwed my wife against her will, when you ruined my marriage. My entire life, you've told me that I'm not a man, that I'll never be even half of the man that you are. But if you're a man, if you're the definition of a man, then I never, and I mean never, want to even come close to being a man. If a man has to rape women, nonetheless his son's wife, to make himself feel big, to make himself feel good, then I want to stay as far away from that as possible."

"Oh she wanted it! You don't think she did? She was only saying no out of some kind of obligation to you. If she had really wanted me to stop, she would've said so when I asked her. She didn't want me to stop, Fitz. I gave it to her. I gave it to her good and hard and I pleased her a hell of a lot more than you ever could have."

Fitz saw red as his father spoke, and after a while, he couldn't keep cool anymore. He couldn't hold back any longer. He lunged forward and slammed his fist into Jerry's jaw, doing it over and over again, not even paying attention to where he was hitting after a few punches. After he felt like enough was enough, even though he wanted so badly to continue hitting him, to hit him so much to the point where he was actually dead, he knew that it wasn't a good idea. It already wasn't a good idea to be hitting him at all, but Fitz had good reasoning. He had damn good reasoning.

"That's for Mel!" He yelled, looking at his father, who was covered in blood. Fitz couldn't exactly tell where it was coming from, but there was blood everywhere, and Jerry had shut his mouth, so he felt like he had, for the most part, accomplished what he had wanted to do. "She didn't want it. Don't you dare say that. She doesn't trust men anymore, thanks to you. Now get the hell out of my office."

Big Jerry looked at him, wiping the blood from his mouth as he regained his composure. He straightened out his coat and looked back at his son. "I'm not leaving. I will leave your office to give you time to calm down and to realize that it's not okay to hit your father, but I will be back. I won't be leaving."

"Stay the hell away from Mellie." Fitz warned as Big Jerry turned to leave. As he went to walk out the door, it opened, and in walked Mellie, who had baby Teddy in her arms.

"Hey, Fitz-" Mellie stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was standing in front of her, covered in blood. Much like her husband, she assumed that this was a dream, that she was imagining this. This wasn't real, he wasn't alive. He couldn't be alive. She had gone to his funeral. She was about to pinch herself. But she was assured that this wasn't a dream when her baby boy asked the man in front of them why he was bleeding. "What the hell are you doing here?" Mellie asked through gritted teeth, her voice deep.

Big Jerry reached over and ruffled Teddy's hair, and Mellie snatched the toddler away from him. "Don't touch him."

"Aw, Mellie...It's nice to see you too."

"Fitz knows. I don't have to pretend anymore. I don't have to act like we're still close, like nothing happened. And I especially don't have to let you touch my child." She held Teddy close, kissing the top of her son's head. She was lucky, Big Jerry was lucky, that she had Teddy in her arms because if Teddy wasn't there to help her stay strong, to help her keep calm, she didn't know how things would end up going.

"That's my grandchild. I'm of no harm to him. You should know that."

"I also thought that you were of no harm to me, but we saw how that went, didn't we?"

Big Jerry just shook his head, looking down at baby Teddy. "Hey there, little man...I'll come see you in a while, okay?" He told him before leaving Fitz's office.

"No he won't, baby, don't you worry." Mellie whispered as she held her son close, breathing heavily. She closed her eyes, fighting tears as she walked over to the couch and sat down, her death grip on Teddy still tight.

"Momma. Yous hurtin' me." Teddy told her, and Mellie loosened her grip, apologizing as she rubbed the little boy's back.

Fitz walked over to them, sitting down next to Mellie and holding her in his arms, shushing her as she let herself cry. It was a very rare occurrence that Mellie let herself cry, and it was even more rare that she let herself cry in front of other people. She curled up next to Fitz and Teddy laid in her lap, playing with the pearls around his mother's neck with one hand, his other hand playing with her dark curls. That's always how he calmed her down. And it usually worked. It wasn't working as well now, but it was slowly but surely working.

"Shh...Mels, it's okay. I won't let him get you again. He's not going to hurt you again." He kissed her temple, holding her close to him. "You can't stress, baby. We've got to keep Baby Grant safe. Try to keep calm."

Mellie nodded, wiping her eyes as she stood up, making sure to hold Teddy. "I'm going to go take a nap...We were on our way to do that but Teddy Bear wanted to say goodnight to his daddy." She took a deep breath. "Will you walk with me?"

"Of course." Fitz nodded, standing up and taking her hand, walking through the halls and up to their bedroom. This wasn't going to be easy. This was going to be extremely hard. This was going to hurt like hell. There were going to be sleepless nights, nights full of nightmares and of Mellie crying in his arms. This was a setback, a major setback. If Mellie was going to let him touch her after the whole Olivia situation, she definitely wasn't going to let him touch her now. She was going to be beyond broken again, and Fitz was going to have to put her back together again. He was going to have to actually be there for her this time. He knew now. He couldn't let her down. He couldn't let her deal with this by herself. He wasn't sure if he was going to be prepared for it all, but he would have to be. He couldn't protect his wife back then, but he could sure as hell protect her now and make sure that she was safe, that she felt safe no matter what. He was going to make that son of a bitch pay for what he did to Mellie.


	37. Chapter 37

_A/N: Sorry it took me a few days to update! I know y'all got spoiled and got used to the multiple updates a day, or at least once a day. My laptop broke again in the middle of writing this chapter and I swear I almost cried when I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get it back! **Sooo keep up the reviews**, I LOVE reading them and I REALLY appreciate them. So if you like it, tell me what you think! And if you have any ideas, let me know. Don't hold back! You guys are the best! :) And also, take some time to read **"Dirty Little Secrets Always Come Out"**, **"Drunken Encounters"**, and **"Consequences"**, and tell me what you think about those!_

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><p>She wakes up screaming, and it barely phases Fitz at all. He had expected that. He knew that something like that was going to happen. He was almost positive that she was going to have nightmares, that she was going to relive that terrible night, especially in her dreams. He took a deep breath and rolled over on his side so that he was facing her. "Shh…Mels, it's okay." He whispered quietly, reaching over and softly rubbing her arm. He wasn't sure how comfortable she would be with him touching her, so he decided to take it slow and gradually add a little bit more until he knew where her stopping point was. He knew that she had completely closed up after his father had attacked her, and that on occasion when she would think about that night, she wasn't necessarily in the mood to be touched. But surprisingly, she was okay with him touching her arm, so he took the next step and pulled her into his arms.<p>

Even more surprisingly, she was okay with that as well. She leaned into him, burying her face in his chest. She sobbed into his t-shirt, her tears soaking the light gray fabric. Fitz continued to calm and caress her, softly rubbing her back as she cried. He hated seeing her like this. He hated seeing what his father had done to her, how badly he had truly scarred her, how he had forever changed her. He knew that punching him a few times wasn't going to make up for that, but considering that he wasn't dead, that he was very much alive, Fitz would have the chance to make up for what he did to Mellie sometime soon. For now, he had to focus on his wife and on making sure that she was okay, that she would be okay. He couldn't imagine how tough it was for her to have to see Big Jerry, for her to have to realize that the man who had raped her wasn't dead after all.

Fitz thought that he was free after Big Jerry had died. He couldn't even begin to imagine how free his wife had felt. And now, to have that taken away from her, to realize that he wasn't really dead, that he was well and alive and standing in her house, he couldn't possibly imagine that either. That had to be heartbreaking, that had to be painful. And God, how much he wished to take his wife's pain from her, to make things better, to just hold her in his arms and ensure her that everything was okay and that his father would never touch her again. He was going to take care of her this time, he was going to make sure that nothing bad happened to her ever again. Especially at the hands of his father.

Teddy picked his head up when he heard Mellie cry, and he looked over at her, frowning slightly. "Momma okay?" The little boy asked, turning onto his side to face his distraught mother and father. He reached over and played with Mellie's hair, and Mellie couldn't help but relax at her son's soft, innocent touch. She exhaled loudly as she stopped crying, and she pulled her face away from Fitz's chest, her eyes red and face puffy.

"Yes, baby. Mommy's okay." She ensured him, leaning forward slightly and kissing the boy's soft forehead. "I promise. You can go back to sleep, baby. Mommy's sorry for waking you up." Mellie apologized, running her hand through his dark hair.

Teddy nodded and snuggled into Mellie, laying his head on her chest while he continued to play with her hair. "Mes Superman…Mes gotta stay ups and takes care of yous." He told his mother, pouting slightly as he closed his eyes. He wasn't awake long enough to even hear Mellie's response.

Mellie smiled to herself as she rubbed Teddy's back, bunching up his Bob The Builder pajama shirt with every movement of her hand. Fitz leaned forward and kissed Mellie's head, taking in the scent of her strawberry shampoo. "Do you wanna talk about it?" He questioned, a way of asking, even though he knew the answer. Mellie didn't like talking about much, especially when it came to Big Jerry and what he had done to her. The woman had kept that a secret for over 15 years, she wasn't going to open up to Fitz about every detail all of a sudden. And he didn't blame her. He had started to get her to open up about things, since she had gotten pregnant with the twins and since they decided to repair their marriage, but he wasn't going to push her. If she wanted to talk about it, she did, and great, they would talk about it. But if she didn't, then that was just as fine as well. He wasn't going to force her to talk about it if she didn't want to.

"Not really." Mellie mumbled as she curled up close to her husband, allowing him to hold her. Even she was surprised; that wasn't something that she usually let him do after she had been thinking about that night, about Big Jerry. And especially now, after she saw him, after she had the shocker of the century, she figured she would be significantly worse than she had usually been. But for some reason, she was doing well, she was doing better. And she was beyond grateful for that. "It was...It was like I was reliving it. It was bad, it was detailed, it was exactly like that night. Every word, every touch, every movement..." Mellie frowned as she spoke. "I was reliving it all. And it's not like I haven't had the dream before, it's not like it doesn't happen multiple times a month. I'm used to it by now. It just never gets any easier. Having to hear him speaking to me again, having to feel his hands on me, him...inside of me..." She fought back tears and swallowed hard. "It never gets any easier."

Fitz nodded as he listened to every word, his heart breaking as she spoke to him. He inhaled a deep breath and held her close to him, shushing her quietly as she cried. "Mels, it's okay...I'm here. I've got you." He whispered, rocking her softly. "I've got you, baby." Fitz told her, sighing quietly as he tried not to cry. God, he was trying so hard not to let the tears flow. He hated seeing Mellie so broken and he couldn't help but be upset by it. But he couldn't cry. He had to be strong for her, he had to be tough for her. He couldn't cry.

Mellie jumped slightly, and Fitz immediately pulled his arms from around her. "What's wrong?" He asked, assuming that he had done something wrong, assuming that him holding her had finally hit her. That she had finally realized what she was letting him do, that she was letting him touch her. Mellie reached behind him and took his arms, putting them back around her.

"No...You're okay. You were really helping. It wasn't you. You were making me feel better, Fitz." She laid back against him, her hand reaching down and rubbing her belly. "The baby's moving. I haven't felt it move until now. So it was just a shock, that's why I jumped." Mellie told him, still facing the wall. She wanted to look at him but between Fitz's arms being around her, and with Teddy being on her chest, she couldn't move. "Baby?"

"Yes, honey?" He asked, running his hand through her hair.

"He's still here, isn't he?"

Fitz felt his heart drop to his stomach when she had asked that. He just nodded, unable to answer her. "Yes." He responded after a few seconds.

Mellie pushed his arms off of her and gently moved Teddy. He growled in his sleep and she couldn't help but smile. Fitz looked confused, curious as to what she was doing. She sat up and looked at him, wiping the dried tears from her face. "I'm not gonna be afraid of him anymore, Fitz. I'm not gonna hide because he's here. He can't have control over my life anymore, he had that for over 15 years and I hated it. He made me want to kill myself, he made me try to kill myself and it's not okay that he has that kind of control over me. That's not okay with me."

"So what're you saying, Mels?" Fitz questioned, trying to make sure that he understood everything that she was saying.

"I'm saying that he's in my house. This is my house. We aren't in his house anymore, this is my home. And I'm not going to hide in my room and cry because he's here. I'm going to get up and I'm going to go work, and I'm going to take care of my children because I'm not letting him control me anymore. I'm not letting him have any effect on my actions or my feelings or my emotions anymore. I'm just not allowing it. Even after I thought he died, I still let him have some power over me, and I shouldn't have. I should've never let him have any power over me."

Fitz couldn't believe how tough his wife was. He was listening to her, he was taking in every single word that she was saying and he knew she was tough, God, he knew that she was tougher and stronger than he was in most cases. But this was amazing him. Hearing her say this, hearing her talk about this was truly amazing. "Mellie, baby..." He was about to ask her if she was ready, if she was sure. But he knew that she wouldn't be saying this if she wasn't. She always tried to do things that she wasn't ready for because she felt like she had to, but this was something that he knew that she wouldn't push herself to do if she wasn't truly ready. He knew that she was ready. "I am so proud of you."

Mellie smiled and got out of bed, going into the bathroom. Fitz decided to let her be and got dressed himself. He was tying his tie when she came into the closet in her bra and panties, her hair already dried and pulled up into a bun. She got dressed in a red dress, looking at her bump in the mirror. It was starting to show a bit more, it was beginning to become obvious that she was pregnant. She smiled as she ran her hand over her belly, in her own little world as she thought about their baby, about the child that was inside of her. Fitz just watched her, the smile on his face not fading throughout the entire five minutes that his wife had just been mesmerized over her stomach.

When she finished, she went back into the bathroom and did her makeup. When she came back into the bedroom, Teddy was awake and jumping on the bed. "Mommmmmaaa!" He shouted as he jumped, and Mellie chuckled, walking over to him.

"What, baby boy?" She asked, pulling him into her arms. He giggled uncontrollably, burying his face in the crook of Mellie's neck.

"Mes work with yous today?" He asked, wrapping his legs around Mellie's waist as she held him. "Mes wanna be with yous, not Marta." Teddy pouted, laying his head on Mellie's shoulder.

Mellie kissed the top of her son's head. "Of course you can work with me today." She rubbed his back, rocking him softly and slowly, knowing how much he enjoyed that. "You can be with me, baby." She held him as she put on her heels, her gaze now on Fitz. "Are you ready?"

Fitz nodded and walked over to his wife and son, planting a kiss on Teddy's cheek before taking Mellie's hand. "I am." He squeezed her tiny hand gently, placing his other hand over it and bringing it up to his lips, softly kissing it. He walked with her and Teddy out into the hallway, walking down to Mellie's office. He went in with her and smiled at her Chief of Staff before turning his head to Mellie. "If you need anything, if you need anything at all, Mels, please call or text me. I'll be here in a heartbeat."

"I'll be okay, Fitz, I promise." She tilted her head back and softly kissed his lips.

Fitz kissed her back, running his hand down her back. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He smiled at her and pulled away, turning to leave. "It's you and me." He told her, blowing her a kiss as he left her office.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Hey, guys! This was just a little bit of fluff because I knew that I needed to give y'all an update since you're used to my frequent updates. My reviews are decreasing, so y'all definitely need to work on that ;) Let me know what you think of the chapter, and seriously, please take some time and let me know what y'all want me to write in the next chapter! If you have any ideas or suggestions, PLEASE let me know!

"Momma, mes no feel good." Teddy crawled up into Mellie's lap, laying his head on his mother's shoulder. He let out a quiet sigh, frowning as he closed his eyes.

Mellie looked down at her son, softly rubbing his back. "No? What's wrong, little man?" She asked, glancing down at the papers that were sprawled out on the bed in front of her. Teddy just pointed to his stomach, not opening his eyes or moving away from his mother. Mellie nodded and kissed his head, reaching over into the nightstand and getting him some medicine.

"Baby, I know it's yucky but it's gonna make you feel better, okay?" Mellie tried to tell him, but Teddy whined and shook his head, trying his hardest to keep his face away from her. He hated taking medicine, especially cough syrup. He usually ended up spitting it out and refusing to let Mellie give him any more. "Baby, it's okay. I promise." She tried again as she pouted the syrup into the small measuring cup, and Teddy continued to shake his head and try to fight her over it.

"Nos!" He yelled, pushing her hands away from him, refusing to let her get close to him.

"It's going to help you, Teddy Bear. I promise. It'll be okay. You're only going to taste it for a second." Luckily, that was the convincing try. He stared at her for a second, as if he didn't quite believe her, and he opened his mouth slowly, looking up at her. Mellie held his hand and gave him the medicine with her other hand, frowning to herself as she watched him try not to gag. "Swallow, baby." She told him, and he did after a few seconds. The look of disgust on his face made Mellie grown even more, and she just sighed.

She rubbed his back softly, kissing the top of his head. Poor baby. "Mes cuddle with you and the baby?" Teddy asked his mother, gently rubbing her stomach. It didn't hit her immediately, but it took a few seconds before Mellie wondered how he knew she was pregnant.

"What baby?" She tried to act oblivious, but she knew that Teddy wasn't stupid. That boy was significantly smart for his age, he knew way more than he should as a three year old.

Teddy gave her a look of disapproval. "Mes know yous have baby. Yous get bigger when yous have baby in your belly. And mes hear yous and daddy talk 'bout it." His explanation made Mellie think about how truly smart her little boy really was.

"You're a little evil genius, aren't you, Teddy Bear?" She asked as she ruffled Teddy's hair. He nodded his head and laid his head on her stomach, kicking most of her papers off of the bed when he laid down. "Well good thing I didn't need those." Mellie chuckled to herself and moved the rest of the papers before lying down and turning on Cars.

Fitz came in a few hours later, glancing at his wife and Teddy, who were sleeping curled up to one another. Teddy's head was still on his mother's stomach, and Fitz couldn't help but smile when he saw him. The relationship between Mellie and Teddy was so absolutely adorable, and Fitz loved how close the two of them were. He set Bellamy down on the bed next to Teddy while he went into the closet and changed.

When he came back, Bellamy and Teddy were snuggling, Teddy's arm around his little sister as the two of them slept. The way that Teddy protected his sister warmed Fitz's heart. He kissed both of his childrens' heads before softly kissing Mellie's lips. He didn't want to wake her up, but he didn't want to leave without saying anything to her. "Mels? I gotta go for a bit, okay?"

Mellie groaned loudly, sitting up, forgetting that Teddy had his head on her stomach. The toddler growled at the sudden movement, and Mellie sighed, frowning as she opened her eyes and watched Teddy. "Sorry baby." She mumbled, looking up at Fitz. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I have to go for a few, but I wanted to come tell you. I didn't want to leave without saying anything to you."

"Where are you going?" Mellie asked, sighing quietly.

Fitz leaned down and kissed her head, taking in the scent of her hair, that prominent scent that he loved more than almost anything in the world. "I just have to go talk to Olivia for a few. It's nothing personal, just business."

Mellie couldn't help but feel a sense of jealously overcome her. But she just nodded, knowing that she shouldn't be jealous, that Fitz loved her, that he wouldn't risk their marriage for Olivia, not again. "Okay baby." She took his hand and kissed it, smiling up at him as she squeezed her husband's hand. "I love you."

Fitz couldn't believe that she was being so calm about this. Usually she would be upset that he was going to talk to Olivia, she would be upset that he even mentioned her name, especially after their situation a few weeks back. But something in her had made her realize that Fitz wasn't going to leave her, that he really loved her. He had proved that to her over the past two years, since she had gotten pregnant with the twins. He had really proved to her that she wasn't his last resort, that he wasn't just with her because he had to be, because he felt the political need to stay with her. Over the past two years, Fitz had convinced her that it wasn't necessary for her to be self-conscious, for her to constantly be worrying about whether Fitz was going to leave her for someone else, for Olivia, or for anyone for that matter. He had made her calm down, given her a chance to breathe, given her a chance to not have to feel the need to try so hard when it came to Fitz. Now, it was like when they first got married, when there was nothing stopping them from being in love with one another. Even after so many years of feeling insecure, of feeling that she would never measure up to the woman that her husband was really in love with, to Olivia, she was finally doing better. She was finally realizing that she was safe, that their relationship was safe.

"I love you too." He told her, leaning down and kissing her head once more before leaving the room, going to discuss the oh-so-important thing that Olivia had needed to talk to him about.


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: Hey y'all! Thanks for the suggestions, please keep them up! As well as suggestions on the sex of Mellie and Fitz's baby, including names! I love to hear you guys' thoughts and suggestions, so please don't refrain from reviewing! Thank you all, and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

"You shouldn't be in here. If Mellie sees you in here, she's going to lose it." Fitz walked into the nursery, looking at his father. Big Jerry was playing with Bellamy and Ben, who were both giggling their little heads off. He was surprised that he was anywhere near the twins, considering that Big Jerry hated children, especially babies.

Jerry looked over at his son as he picked up Bellamy, who immediately threw her arms around her grandfather's neck. She giggled and laid her head down on his shoulder, looking at Fitz. "I just wanted to see my grandchildren, Fitz. I hadn't had a chance to meet them." He explained as he ran his hand through Bellamy's light hair.

"When did you start caring about your grandchildren? You never wanted anything to do with Jerry and Karen."

Jerry ignored his son's rude comment and gently bounced Bellamy in his arms. Fitz stared at him, not noticing when Mellie walked into the room with Teddy in her arms. "I see we're having a party in here..." She announced cooly, glancing down at her watch. "And I'm pretty sure that the twins should've been down for a nap over an hour ago." She didn't look at Fitz, knowing that it wasn't his fault that the babies weren't asleep. She just glared at Big Jerry, who didn't seem to even notice her presence.

"Fitz, would you take the kids and go put them down for their nap in our bed? I would like a moment alone with your father." Mellie frowned, subconsciously rubbing her belly. Fitz wasn't sure if that was the best idea, but he wasn't going to argue. She was coping, and she knew what was best for her. Mellie knew what she could and couldn't handle, and Fitz wasn't going to stand in the way of that. He just nodded and snatched Bellamy from Big Jerry, hard enough for Jerry to get his point, but not hard enough to hurt his precious little girl. The sudden grabbing made Bellamy start to cry out, and she looked at Fitz, who quietly calmed her down before taking Ben into his arms.

Mellie set Teddy down on the ground. "Baby, go with daddy. Mommy will be in to tuck you in in a few minutes, okay?" Teddy was reluctant, but he didn't like arguing with his mother, so he agreed, taking her hand and kissing it before walking toward Fitz. "I'll be okay." Mellie mouthed to her husband, who still didn't seem sure about the idea. But he saw the look in her eyes, the need for this, the need to have real closure, and he nodded before he left with the children.

Once the door was closed, Jerry stood up and looked at Mellie. "You must have your hands full with all of these youngin's. And another on the way." Hearing his voice made Mellie sick to her stomach, but she brushed it off, trying not to think to much about it. Jerry reached forward to put his hand on her belly, and Mellie smacked it away. The way that Jerry looked at her, you would've thought that she had slapped him in the face. He was beyond shocked that she wouldn't let him touch her stomach. It was as if he didn't even remember what had happened.

Looking at his black eye and the bruises on his face made Mellie feel slightly better. "Don't even think about it." She warned. "It was bad enough that you think you have any right to be near and bother my already-born children. At least I can keep you from touching and corrupting this one."

"What's so wrong with me being around the children, Mellie?" Jerry spat, tilting his head to the side. He couldn't possibly imagine why Mellie wouldn't let him near the children. "What have I done that makes you think that it's not okay for me to be around the children?"

"What have you done!?" Mellie laughed, slightly to herself, but more at his stupidity. "What have you done? Are you honestly asking me that question? You raped me! You put your hands on me, and you held me down, and you ripped off my panties and forced yourself inside of me. You moved inside of me, despite my screams and pleas, until you were content and done. Once you were content, you then decided that you were done with me, that you were finished, and that I go. You didn't once think about that again. You didn't think about the consequences, about how I felt." She took a deep breath, watching her father-in-law. He was speechless, but Mellie decided to keep going.

"Oh wait. You did think about it. Once. The next morning, when you apologized for things 'getting out of hand'." She rolled her eyes, remembering that day as if it was yesterday. "Getting out of hand. That's a nice way to put it. It makes it sound like it was consensual, like I was okay with it, like I agreed to have sex with you. But you and I both know that's not how it went. You and I both know that you didn't like the fact that I denied you, that I told you no, that I told you to stop. Nobody had ever told you no before. So you kept going. You cared more about yourself, about your own personal pleasure. You couldn't have cared less about me, about how that would affect me for the years to come. You only cared about you, you only cared about your three minutes of pleasure. You've never cared about anyone but yourself, Big Jerry, and that not only goes for me, that goes for your son and his mother as well."

She couldn't stop. She was doing so well and she had so much to say that she hadn't had the chance to say before, that she might never have the chance to say again. "You're lucky. You really are. You're lucky that Fitz and I were trying for a child so frequently. Because for the last 17 years, I was afraid. I was beyond afraid that my son, that Little Jerry could've been yours. He very well could have been if Fitz and I weren't trying so often, if every time that we weren't around you, we weren't in bed with our clothes off. God, how much of a scandal would that of been? How bad would it have been if my child ended up being yours? If Fitz's wife's child was really his brother as well? I'm sure you never thought about that. I'm sure the thought never even crossed your mind. I'm sure it was just a coincidence to you that I had a child just nine months after you raped me, after you pinned me down, after you forced me to have sex with you."

"Mellie-I..." Big Jerry tried to interrupt, but Mellie didn't let him. She wasn't finished.

"No. I have thought about that night every single day since it has happened. And I know for a fact that it hasn't been a thought in your mind more than a handful of times. I have suffered, I have sacrificed so much because of that night, because I didn't want to tell Fitz what had happened, because I didn't want to speak of it again. I ruined my marriage, I lost my husband, I never had a relationship with my children, I almost lost my life because of you, because of what you did. I have lived every single day of my life thinking about that. You ruined my life, you ruined me, you ruined Fitz and you ruined my marriage. You think you're all that, you think you're so much better than Fitz. You think you're a man. But the truth is, Jerry, you're not a man. You will never be even half of the man that Fitz is. Fitz has done so much better without you in his life. So I think it's time that you leave, that you go back to wherever you have been for the past 5 years. Because you're just going to ruin my husband again."

Big Jerry was going to apologize, he was going to try and apologize, even though he knew that it wouldn't do any good. But Mellie's last few sentences had pissed him off. She had no right to tell him that he wasn't a man. He was a man. He may have done some bad things, but he was still a man. "Excuse me?" Jerry spat, truthfully unsure if he had even heard her right.

"You heard me. You're not a man. You're a coward. You're a sick bastard who raped his daughter-in-law and has done nothing for torment his son since the day that he was born."

"You have no idea. You have no clue. You don't know what mine and Fitz's relationship was like before you came along. If I didn't care about him, you wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have gotten you for him if I didn't care about him, about his future."

Mellie shook her head. "You didn't care about him. You cared about your future, your name. You wanted your son to be successful so that it looked good on you. You didn't give a damn about how it reflected on him, only you. And Fitz and I would've ended up together without your help."

"You're an asset, Mellie. You're nothing. So I don't know why you're sitting here, still speaking to me as if you have some sort of authority against me. You're nothing, and I'm his father. He can live without you, but he cannot live without me."

"He can't?" Mellie questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Because I'm pretty sure he's done damn well without you, since you 'died'." She said the final word with the assistance of air quotes. "And I'm not an asset. I'm his wife. I'm always going to be here for him, and I know for a fact that he would choose me over you in a heartbeat. As for my authority? I have plenty over you. You have about thirty seconds to get out of my childrens' room, and about sixty to get your ass out of my house before I have security handle this."

Big Jerry scoffed and stared at her for a moment, but the fire in her eyes let him know that she was serious. "I'm not leaving because you're making me. I'm leaving because I'm done here." He pushed past her, and Mellie couldn't help but laugh to herself. Even now, he still felt the need to prove that he wouldn't listen to a woman, that women didn't have any authority over him. But Mellie knew that she had won.

After his departure, Mellie found her way back to her bedroom, where the twins were sleeping in the middle of the bed, cuddling with each other, and Fitz and Teddy were laying on either side of them. "Momma!" Teddy grinned from ear to ear when he saw his mother. He stood up on the bed and started jumping, but Fitz grabbed him carefully and pulled him down before he accidentally jumped on, or woke up the babies. "Yous late." Teddy pouted, and Mellie just smiled.

"Sorry baby. I had to finish up something." She squeezed his cheeks and gave him a kiss. "I'll be right back. Let me change really quick, okay?" With a nod from Teddy, she ruffled her son's hair and disappeared into the closet, changing into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and pulling her dark, thick hair back with an elastic band. She came back out and picked up Teddy, laying next to Fitz and laying her son on her chest. Almost immediately, Teddy laid down and closed his eyes. Even quicker, Mellie noticed his slowed breathing, surprised at how quick he could fall asleep.

"Are you okay?" Fitz asked, genuinely worried about his wife. He couldn't imagine how difficult that was for her.

Mellie looked at him and gave him a sincere smile, nodding her head. "I'm great. I'm beyond great." Leaning over as best as she could with a toddler on her chest, she gently kissed Fitz's cheek. "That helped. That really did. I said all that I needed to. Everything I wanted to say for the past 17 years, I said. I got it all off of my chest and I feel great."

Fitz smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'm proud of you, Mel." He whispered, and he truly was.


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Hey guys! I know I've got to update my other stories; I'll get to those this weekend! But in the meantime, here's the next chapter! Remember to keep up your reviewing and PLEASE let me know your suggestions on what you want to read next! Also, let me know whether you think the baby should be a boy or a girl, and PLEASE share some name ideas! Thanks!:) Muah! ;-*

"Lauren, is the President busy?" Mellie asked as she walked up to Fitz's secretary, placing her hands on the young woman's desk. Lauren was intimidated by Mellie, as she was by a lot of the people that came near the Oval Office, but she was especially intimidated by the First Lady.

Lauren looked at her computer, and then down at the large desk calendar sitting in front of her, and she slowly shook her head. "No ma'am, he's not." She responded simply, letting out a soft sigh of relief as she remembered how less than a few years ago, Mellie was significantly more intimidating. Luckily, since her and Fitz had repaired their marriage, she had become just slightly less scary to the poor woman.

Mellie nodded, softly tapping her fingers on the wooden desk. "Mm. And when is his next meeting?" She questioned, and within seconds, Lauren had a reply for her.

"He doesn't have any planned for the rest of the day. He has the remainder of today free."

"Thank you, Lauren." Mellie smiled at the young woman's response, and let herself into the Oval, closing the door behind her and walking over to her husband. Fitz was sitting at his desk, clearly stressing out over something. His hand was running through his dark curls, and he had his head rested on his other hand as he read through a file. He was so intrigued and focused that he hadn't even heard his wife enter the room.

Mellie walked over to him, pulling his chair back slowly. He jumped slightly, finally recognizing Mellie's presence, and turned to look at her. He was confused, unsure of exactly why she was pulling his chair back. "Mel, wha-" He didn't have a chance to finish speaking and asking his question before his wife climbed into his lap, and straddled his legs. He just smirked up at her, now realizing her intentions.

"Hi." He whispered as he looked into Mellie's bright blue eyes. She just smiled back at him before leaning down toward him and capturing his lips with hers. She responded with something that sounded a lot like 'hi', but Fitz couldn't exactly make out her exact word. He chuckled to himself when Mellie kissed down his face, to his jaw, and down his throat. "Is someone a little horny?"

"You could say that." Mellie mumbled against Fitz's throat before sucking on his skin. Fitz closed his eyes and ran his hand through Mellie's thick curls, slowly running it down her back. He opened his eyes, sliding his hands down her back and legs until he reached the hem of her skirt. He pushed it up until her skirt was bunched up around her waist.

He pushed her lace panties to the side and smirked to himself when he realized how wet she was already. He had forgotten how horny she was when she was pregnant. Mellie was his sex kitten when she was pregnant. But between their fighting and Big Jerry showing up, they hadn't had much of a break or a chance to have sex recently. Luckily, Mellie's desire for him made him remember how much she loved finding him for a quickie when she was carrying their child.

Mellie let out a moan when she felt Fitz's fingers so close to her mound, just millimeters away from her bundle of nerves. He kept still for a moment, wanting to build up Mellie's anticipation, and she squirmed under him, bucking her hips up toward his hand. Focusing on her clit, he rubbed her at a painfully slow pace, and gradually increased his moving when he noticed how restless she was. When Mellie started panting, he moved his middle finger to her entrance, inserting it slowly inside her, making her moan and arch her back against the Fitz's desk.

"Fitz..." She whispered, thrusting her hips up, trying to get herself as close to his hand as possible. "Fitz please...Baby, I need you." Mellie begged, pleading for him to stop his teasing torture on her and for him to be inside her. She wanted to feel him fill her up, to feel every one of his deep thrusts as he pushed himself inside of her.

Fitz nodded, pulling his fingers out of her and slipping his hand out of her panties. He picked her up as best as he could from the position that they were in, and he set her on the edge of his desk. Mellie looked up at him as she watched his every movement, desire in those bright baby blues. Already, Fitz silently wished that they didn't have so many layers of clothing in between them, that they didn't have to waste their time undressing one other. He hooked his fingers in the fabric of her panties, slipping them down her legs and balling them up before tossing them into an open desk drawer.

He unbuckled his belt, pulling it through the loops in one fast motion, tossing it to the ground. Mellie smirked as she watched him unbutton and unzip his pants, pulling them down to right above his knees, his boxers coming down directly after. He laid Mellie back, watching her rock back and forth on her ass as she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer to her. Fitz smirked a devilish smirk before taking his member into his hand, stroking it a few times and lining himself up at Mellie's entrance.

Fitz pushed into her, listening as Mellie cried out, her mouth dropping as he thrusted in and out of her, pulling almost all of the way out of her before plunging back into her. He repeated this a few times, holding her to keep her from being forcefully pushed off of the desk. It was difficult for her to have a good grip on him and keep herself upright in the position that she was in, so she just kept her legs around him, her palms pressed against the desk behind her to hold herself up.

Mellie arched her back into him in order to get more contact and

moved her hips to meet his thrusts. Fitz grunted loudly as he felt himself moving deeper and deeper, and Mellie moaned as she rubbed her clit against his pelvis. Mellie clamped her inner muscles around Fitz's thick, pulsing length, and he groaned, reaching down and rubbing her bundle of nerves with his thumb.

"Are you close, baby?" He whispered in a hoarse voice.

Mellie nodded weakly, struggling to keep her eyes open as she looked up at him. "Ye-yes, Fitzzzz..." She tf him, her voice shaky. After only a few more of Fitz's deep, quick thrusts, Mellie's silky walls contracted around his member, sending the both of them over the edge within seconds of one another. Fitz struggled to maintain his pace as he shot his warm, thick load deep inside of her, into her womb. He kept moving so that the both of them could ride out their orgasms, and slowly decreased the pace until he wasn't moving any longer.

Mellie collapsed back onto the desk, breathing heavily as she closed her eyes. He remained inside of her for a few seconds before he slowly pulled out of her, helping her up once she had caught her breath. Fitz pulled up his pants and put his belt back on, moving to help Mellie fix her skirt when he was done. "I have to get back to work." Mellie told him, running her hand through her hair to try and contain it as much as she possibly could.

Fitz nodded, leaning down and softly kissing her lips. "Okay baby."

"I love you. Thank you."

He smiled at her. "I love you too, beautiful." She turned around and started to walk away, but not before Fitz quickly smacked her ass. Mellie giggled as left the Oval, trying to contain herself as she went back to her office to finish her work for the day.

The next time he saw his wife, she was chatting with Andrew in the hallway. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt a surge of jealousy when he saw them. Of course, he knew that there wasn't anything going on between them. But it still gave him butterflies in his stomach when he saw the two of them together, when he saw Mellie laughing and smiling and giggling as he spoke to her. He couldn't help it. He couldn't help thinking that there was something going on, even though he knew that there wasn't.


	41. Chapter 41

A/N: Hey guys! I got like, no reviews for my last chapter, and that makes me sad :( But here's the jealous Fitz that some of you were asking for! I hope that you enjoy and that you review this chapter! I'm really caught on what the gender of Mellie and Fitz's baby should be, so I'm definitely wanting suggestions on that. As well as name suggestions! And as I said in previous chapters, I want to know what y'all want to happen and what you want to read about! So let me know! Happy reading:)

The next time he saw his wife, she was chatting with Andrew in the hallway. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt a surge of jealousy when he saw them. Of course, he knew that there wasn't anything going on between them. But it still gave him butterflies in his stomach when he saw the two of them together, when he saw Mellie laughing and smiling and giggling as he spoke to her. He couldn't help it. He couldn't help thinking that there was something going on, even though he knew that there wasn't.

Fitz turned to talk to Cyrus for a total of thirty seconds, and when he turned back around, Mellie and Andrew were slipping into Andrew's office. He raised an eyebrow, a bit unsure why they had to continue their conversation in private. Deciding to distract himself so that he didn't get angry, he found his way down to the kitchen to get something to eat. On his way back up to the Oval Office, he ran into Mellie, who was sneaking out of Andrew's office, looking very suspicious, much like a teenager sneaking out of her boyfriend's window in the middle of the night. When she saw who she had walked into, her eyes widened, and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Fitz, it's not-" She immediately tried to stand up for herself, which made Fitz even more suspicious than he was already. This was getting awfully weird, and he wasn't exactly sure what to think. "It's not what you think."

Fitz raised an eyebrow, continuing to stare at her. "It's not what I think? What do I think, Mellie?"

Mellie sighed, looking at him. This was definitely not going well. "Fitz, I mean it's..." She let out another small sigh and decided to try again. "I'm sure that you think that there was something inappropriate going on."

"That's not what I think, Mellie. You think that I'm that insecure? So insecure that I would think that just because my wife and her ex-boyfriend, whom she cheated on me with, were in the same room with the door closed that she has to be fucking him? I'm not that insecure, Mellie. I actually trust you." Of course this wasn't true, but he had some strange urge to be an ass about the situation.

"Fitz, I...I'm sorry, okay? I just know that you don't like when I'm alone with Andrew and I was just trying to assure you that nothing was going on."

"If you know that I don't like it when you're alone with Andrew, then why in the hell were you alone with him? Why did you go behind my back and do the one fucking thing that you know I don't like you doing?" He was making a scene right now, but he honestly didn't care.

This was ridiculous. This was absolutely ridiculous and hypocritical. "Why did you go behind my back to be with Olivia Pope the other day? You know how I feel about her. You know how I get when you go to see her, when you sneak out and go to her house. I wasn't angry with you when you told me that you were going to see her, why do you have any right to be angry with me now?"

Fitz chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "Do you not get it, Mellie? It's not the same. I had a reason to be talking to Olivia. I told you before I went to speak with Olivia. You knew I was with her. I had to find out that you were with Andrew by walking down the hallway and seeing you sneaking out of his office. You had no reason to be with him. And I know exactly why you were with him, actually."

"Are you stupid?" Mellie asks, and Fitz is completely and utterly shocked. "I was just with you. I just screwed you on your desk, in your office, less than an hour ago. Why in the hell would I be going to Andrew to get more? Do you really think I'm that much of a whore? Do you really think that I can't stay faithful to my husband? Do you really think that I don't think sex from my husband is enough and that I have to go get finished off by Andrew? Fitz, I had a reason to be there. I can't tell you what it is, but I had a damn good reason to be there. And I can assure you that I kept my clothes on the entire time that I was in his office." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain herself to him. She was beyond angry at the fact that he didn't believe that she wasn't having sex with Andrew. How dare he even think that?

"Your clothes were on, but were his?" He knew that was a low blow. He knew that that was uncalled for and completely inappropriate, but he was angry and they were fighting. If she had reasons to have been alone with him in his office, why couldn't she just tell him what they were? Why did she have to keep them a secret from him? That's what caused his suspicion the most.

"Fitzgerald!" Mellie shouted, completely taken by surprise that he had said that. What was his problem today? "This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous! Why can't you just believe that nothing was going on? Why can't you just believe that we weren't doing anything? I can talk to someone in their office without having sex with them!"

"Can you?" Fitz shot back.

Mellie took a deep breath, looking at him. "You're being disgusting." She stated simply, shaking her head.

"I'm being disgusting?" He was raising his voice, and he could tell that Mellie was getting uncomfortable by all of the staring and the looks that they were receiving from everyone in the hallway. But he didn't care. "No. I think I'm just trying to figure out why my wife was locked in a room with her boyfriend for half an hour! I have a right to wonder why you were in there. I have a right to believe that there was something wrong going on. Especially when you won't tell me the real reason you were in there!" He watched as she rubbed her stomach uncomfortably and without thinking, he spoke. "Is that child even mine? Or is that Andrew's baby? Are the twins mine or are they his too? Hell, are Teddy and Karen even mine? For all I know, you two could've been screwing around since after Jerry was born!" He stopped speaking when his brain caught up with his mouth, and he couldn't believe that he had just suggested that, that he had just accused her of that.

Mellie's mouth dropped as she looked up at her husband. She couldn't believe that he had just said that to her. She couldn't believe that he could doubt her so much that he would think that their children weren't his. She wasn't that bad of a person and he knew that. The tears welled up in her eyes and she threw a piece of paper at him, one that he hadn't even noticed was in her hand. She ran away sobbing before he had a chance to pick it up. He was about to run after her, but decided to pick up the paper first. As he picked it up and read the front of it, he immediately felt like an ass. He had felt like one already, but this made it even worse. It was an invitation to a birthday gala for him. That's why she was in Andrew's office. They were planning a surprise birthday gala. He had never felt like such an asshole in his entire life, and he knew that this was going to take a lot to make it up to her. He let his jealousy get the best of him, and he now realized how absolutely terrible that really was.

Fitz ran down the hall and after Mellie, hoping that she would let him apologize to her. But he knew it was no use.


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: Hey y'all! Thanks for the reviews and suggestions! Keep them up! You guys are the best!:)

She's laying in bed, on her side, facing the wall. She hears the door open, and knows exactly who it is, so she doesn't even bother to move. She doesn't want to speak to him. She doesn't want to hear his voice, or honestly, have anything to do with him. She's sick of the way that he treats her. It's almost worse than it was when Olivia Pope was around. Almost. She doesn't think that it can get any worse than when Olivia Pope was around.

Fitz watched her for a second before kicking off his shoes, and laying down next to her. Mellie decides to pretend to be asleep; she doesn't want to have to talk to him right now. And maybe if he thinks she's asleep, he'll leave. Maybe he'll leave her alone. Or maybe he won't. But a girl can hope, right? He wrapped his arm around her and rested his chin on her shoulder, letting out a soft sigh. Mellie fought the urge to move, trying to stay as still as possible. She didn't want him to know that she was pretending to be asleep.

"Mels..." Fitz whispered, resting his hand on her stomach and slowly rubbing it in circles. "Baby, I am so sorry." He doesn't expect an answer, he doesn't expect anything. But he needs to apologize, even if he has to do it again when she's awake. He doesn't mind having to do it twice. He needs to do it. He should probably have to do it more than twice, considering how terrible he was to her. "I shouldn't of said those things. I know that being mad isn't an excuse. I just don't want to lose you. I trust you. I do. I can't even say that I don't trust Andrew, because I do. I just know that he's a much better man for you. I know that you deserve him. You don't deserve me. I treat you like shit and I put you down all of the time...And no, of course I don't mean to do that, sweetheart. I don't mean to hurt you. Those aren't my intentions." He sighed quietly as he continued to rub her stomach. "I just get scared. And defensive. I get afraid that you're going to leave me. Because you deserve so much better than me. And you can do so much better than me. And Andrew...Andrew's a great guy. And he treats you the way that you should be treated. You should be treated like a queen, and that's how he treats you."

Fitz took a breath, trying to hold back tears. He knew that she wasn't awake to notice, but he didn't want to cry. "I love you more than anything in this entire world, Mellie. I would die for you. I would kill for you. I would do absolutely anything in the world for you, and I would do anything in my power to protect you. But you're too good for me. You're the perfect woman and I'm just a lying, cheating asshole. You don't deserve me. You deserve so much better and I'm sorry that you're stuck with me..." He looked down at Mellie, noticing the tears that are rolling down her face. Her eyes are open now, and he's slightly shocked, wondering how much of that she heard.

"I love you too." Mellie whispered, rolling over so that she can face him. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second before opening them again. "I do deserve you. And I'm not going to leave you. And I understand that it's hard for yo to believe that, because believe me, it's still extremely difficult for me to believe you when you say those same exact words to me. We've hurt each other so much in the past that it's hard to trust each other, and I understand that. But Fitz...you can't continue hurting me. You can't continue saying such hurtful things to me just because you're angry. All of our children are yours, and you know that. You've never doubted that. So just because you're upset does not mean that you can accuse me of being a whore. I get angry sometimes too, I'm not trying to sound like a saint here. But I keep those hurtful things inside because I know how much they would hurt you if I were to say them."

Fitz nodded, to show that he was listening to her. He wrapped his arm around her, and much to his surprise, she let herself cuddle in close to him. "We need to stop this, Fitz. We need to stop the fighting an the arguing over petty bullshit. Because I'm not stupid enough to do anything with Andrew, and I hope you know that. I have put up with our rocky, empty marriage for so many years. And now that it's in the process of fixing and that it's improving, I'm not going to intentionally do anything to ruin that. I realize that we still have a lot of work to do, that we still have a hell of a lot to work on before we're back to how we were before, if we can ever get there. But I love you. And I don't want us to end up the way that we were before. So we need to stop being mean to each other. We need to stop turning our arguments into wars. We're at a constant battle most of the time, wondering how we can hurt the other person before they can hurt us. And that's not healthy. That's going back to how we were when I was pregnant with Teddy..."

And she was right. He remembered that. He remembered how horrible he was to her when she was pregnant with their son, and even for months following that. They were at each other's throats constantly. They were always trying to find some way to destroy the other person, to hurt them as much as possible. And she was right. That was far from healthy. And he didn't want to be in that place again.

"I'll work on it.." Fitz told her after a few minutes, letting out a quiet sigh. He was the one that usually was trying to hurt Mellie. Since they had chosen to begin working on their marriage, Mellie stopped intentionally trying to hurt Fitz. Fitz had stopped doing it as much, but he hadn't stopped completely. And he knew he needed to. He was the main problem in their relationship. If he wasn't such an asshole, they probably wouldn't have as much issues in their marriage.

Mellie just nodded, nuzzling into her husband and resting her head on his chest. Fitz moved, causing Mellie to frown. He crawled down to the bottom of the bed and pulled up Mellie's shirt, earning a disapproving look from his wife, who wondered what in the hell he was doing. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on Mellie's lower belly, followed by an overload of kisses all over her stomach. "Daddy loves you, baby." He whispered, gently rubbing his wife's stomach with two of his fingers. "Daddy loves you so so much. And he loves your mommy too." He laid his head down on her stomach, much like Teddy loved to do, and Mellie finally realized where Teddy had gotten it from.

"I know I shouldn't be mean to your mommy...you're probably going to come out and hit me the first time I try to hold you. I would hit me too, if I were you. But I'm not gonna be mean to mommy anymore, okay? I'm going to be nice to her, and I'm going to treat her like the princess that she is."

"Queen." Mellie interrupted, smirking slightly as she watched Fitz talk to their unborn child.

Fitz chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "I apologize, I'm going to treat her like the queen that she is from now on. Because I love your mommy, and she deserves that. And so much more."

Mellie smiled as she watched him, closing her eyes slowly, listening as her husband continued to talk to her belly. Of course, she forgave him. She would always forgive him. That man could throw her in front of a bus and she would probably forgive him. She loved that man to her detriment. But that didn't mean that she couldn't stay upset. She was still mad. She still couldn't believe that he had the nerve to say the things that he said to her. She appreciated the apology, and that's what led her to forgive him, but sorry doesn't fix things. Sorry doesn't take back all of the mean and hateful things that he had said to her. She sighed to herself, rolling over on her side when Fitz was done talking to her their baby. It was tough being mad at him, she hated being mad at him. But if she just let everything go back to normal, they were going to continue to have to go through this again and again.


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: Alright, I had to give y'all another update! Keep up the reviewing, I love hearing what you all think!

They have an event tonight, and Mellie has no desire to attend it. Between not wanting to go out and pretend to be happy, and not feeling well, she really didn't want to go. But she decided to suck it up. It wasn't an event that they could just miss, and it wasn't something that Fitz could just attend himself. That would be too suspicious, even though there really was nothing suspicious about it.

She got dressed in the closet, a little pissed that she couldn't find anything that fit her. She finally found a dress that she had worn once when she was pregnant with Teddy, and hoped that no one noticed that she had worn it twice. She put it on and zipped it up, sighing when she looked in the mirror. Her baby bump was really starting to show now, and she knew that there was no way that they could hide it after tonight. She had just hit the 12 week mark and wasn't necessarily ready to tell the public, but it seemed like she was already bigger than she was with the twins at 12 weeks. That worried her for a second, but then she realized that she had already had an ultrasound, and there was definitely only one baby in her uterus.

Mellie ran her hand down her stomach as Fitz came into the closet, dressed and ready to leave. "You look gorgeous." He whispered, softly placing a kiss on his wife's cheek. Wrapping his arms around her, he looked at her in the mirror. "You know, we're not going to be able to hide this for too much longer." Fitz told her as he gently rubbed her belly.

"I know..I was just thinking about that." Mellie sighed, looking at Fitz in the mirror. "Nothing fits, and I'm huge. We're going to have to tell the press in the morning." She didn't want to, not yet. With her age, they weren't completely out of the water yet, and she wanted to wait another week or so. But with how big she was already, she knew that that wasn't a possibility. They were going to have to come out with it as soon as possible.

"It'll be okay. As long as we take the proper precautions and you don't work too hard, it'll be okay." He kissed the top of Mellie's head, unwrapping his arms from her so that she could put her shoes on. Mellie just frowned as she found a pair of heels that matched her light blue dress, and she put them on her swollen feet. Between Fitz thinking that they were all better, and the fact that her shoes didn't fit, she already knew that this night was going to piss her off even more. But she kept it to herself, not wanting to start another argument.

They found their way down to the limo, Fitz holding Mellie's hand as they walked. The two of them got in, and Mellie felt a wave of nausea hit her just as she kicked off her heels. This baby just had the most perfect timing. She took deep breaths, trying to make the feeling pass. Luckily, it did after a few minutes, but she quickly became irritated by yet another thing. When she tried to put her shoes back on, her feet wouldn't fit in them. She groaned loudly, and Fitz looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong, princess?"

Mellie just shook her head, letting out another sigh. "I can't put my shoes back on." She frowned. "My feet won't fit in them."

Fitz nodded and rubbed her arm as he told the driver to quickly take them to a store. Mellie tried to protest, but then decided that there was no point. She couldn't go in to the event without shoes, and there was no way that she was forcing her feet into the ones that she had. She couldn't, and even if she could manage to, she wouldn't. The driver took them to a department store, and Fitz offered to go in and get a pair for her, but she declined, knowing that that would probably be catastrophic.

They went in together, hand in hand. Pregnant Mellie being barefoot and walking through a department store would already draw enough attention to her. She didn't need any more attention caused by her and Fitz not holding hands. They found their way to the back of the store and Mellie quickly tried on a few pairs of shoes. She ended up having to buy a pair that was three sizes bigger than her usual size. She frowned to herself and they paid before hurrying out of the store. They were already running late and didn't want to have all eyes on them when they got there.

They walked into the ballroom, and to Mellie's dismay, all eyes were on her. The second that she walked in, she turned every head in the crowded room. She looked down, hoping that if she didn't look at everyone, they wouldn't look at her. But she knew that it didn't really work that way.

Mellie was off talking to a few people, and Fitz was sitting at a table, chatting with a few governors. He had been asked a few times if Mellie was pregnant, but he dodged the questions and luckily, everyone quit asking. He watched Mellie as she walked around, mingling with just about everyone in the room. His eyes were locked on her, his beautiful wife, and he was suddenly oblivious to everything that everyone was saying to, and around him. The only thing in his world was his wife.

In the middle of someone asking him a question, Fitz stood up and walked over to his wife. He let her finish her conversation before excusing her, and taking her by the hand. Mellie was slightly irritated that he had just pulled her away from who she was talking to, that he had just taken her away as if she was his property. "I was talking to Bitsy Cooper. You can't just pull me away from Bitsy Cooper."

"I'm sorry. I should've asked first. I just...I just wanted to dance with you." With that statement, Mellie was speechless. It had been years since he wanted to dance to her, since he chose to dance with her. Of course, they danced, but not by choice. They danced out of obligation, because as a married couple, that's what they were supposed to do. Fitz hadn't wanted to dance with her since before they had Jerry.

With him saying that, she immediately forgave him for pulling her away from Bitsy Cooper. It was sad how such a little thing could make her forgive him. They always say that the man is the whipped one in the relationship, but Mellie was definitely the whipped one in this relationship. Fitz took her hand and they began to dance, once again, drawing all of the attention to them. "I'm sorry." Fitz whispered. He could tell that she was still angry with him. "I really am. I wish that I could take back all of the things that I said, but I know that I can't, and I'm sorry. I love you, Mellie, and I can't lose you over my insecurities."

Mellie nodded and looked at him as they danced, slowly moving in sync with one another. "I know that, Fitz. And I forgive you. But I am still upset. I never knew that someone I trusted so much, could hurt me so deeply...And I thought that you were done hurting me. I realize that you didn't mean it. I realize that you were angry and that you don't think before you speak when you're angry. But the things you say do hurt, even when you don't mean them. Because you still say them. And sorry doesn't take them back. Sorry doesn't erase them from my memory. I do understand how sorry you are. And I appreciate you apologizing. But I can't help but be upset."

"But I do still love you. More than anything in this world, I love you. And you are still my husband, and you will always be my husband. I'm not letting anything come between us again. Those six years were the worst years of my life, Fitz. Not including the year that I got pregnant with Jerry, those six years were the absolute worst years of my entire life and I can't go through that again. I can't go through losing you again. So I hope you realize that. Me and Andrew aren't a thing anymore. He isn't something that you need to worry about. You're mine, and I'm yours. We're partners. We're in this together. Forever."

Fitz decided that he would leave most of that where it was. He wouldn't comment on some of the things that she said because he knew she was right. "I love you too." He whispered, leaning in close to her and softly kissing her lips. "I love you so much." Fitz held her close to him, unable to stop smiling as he looked at her.

"What?" Mellie asked as she noticed him staring.

Fitz was brought out of his trance when she spoke. "You're just so goddamned beautiful..."

Mellie smiled at him, looking up at him. "Can we go home after this dance?"

"We can go home after this dance."

The two of them pulled away from each other slightly once the song was over, but only enough to be able to walk to go get their things. They walked back out to the car, hand in hand, unable to keep their lips off of each other's.


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: Happy Thanksgiving y'all! I know I skipped a holiday, but I can't help it, I just had to write this! Keep up the reviews and suggestions, they're what keep me going!

"Mels, come on. You know we wait until Christmas Day to open all of our presents. You can't break tradition just because you're excited and can't wait until morning for me to open my present." Fitz explained, and Mellie just pouted. She had waited weeks for this, and she couldn't imagine waiting one more minute for him to open his present.

Her pouting set him off, and he sighed as he reluctantly took the bag from Mellie. Inside it was a onesie, and a sonogram. He took it out and looked at it, smiling when he saw the letters at the top. "Are we really?" Fitz asked, looking at his wife as he placed his hand on her baby bump.

"Yes, baby." Mellie responded, smiling and resting her hand over Fitz's. "Well now that you know the gender of our child, we should probably go to sleep...I'm sure Teddy will be in here at 7am, jumping on the bed and talking about how Santa Claus came."

Fitz chuckled, shaking his head. Knowing Teddy, it would be much earlier than that. "I'm leaning more toward 6 in the morning. You know our Teddy Bear."

"And I'm sure he'll get the twins up to come wake us up, too." Mellie shut off the lamp on her nightstand, and laid down, curling up close to Fitz. "Oh goodness. How are we going to handle all of these kids, Fitz?" She was just now realizing how tough it was really going to be. Taking care of and raising four kids under the age of four was going to be most likely the hardest thing that they had ever done. And she wasn't sure if they were ready for it.

"We'll manage, baby." He wrapped his arm around her, letting her lay her head on his chest. "I love you." Fitz whispered, running his hand through her messed up hair as she quickly fell asleep. Within minutes, she was snoring quietly, her breathing slowed. He watched her for a while before falling asleep himself.

It felt as if they hadn't been asleep 5 minutes before Teddy and the twins ran into the room and climbed up onto Mellie and Fitz's bed. "Mommaaaa!" Teddy yelled as he jumped on his mother's legs, and her head immediately shot up. "Come ons! Santa came!" He screeched, and Bellamy followed suit.

"Dadddddyyy!" The little girl squealed as she bounced on Fitz's legs. "Dada, up!" She whined as she tried her hardest to wake up her father. Ben joined in a few seconds later, pushing Fitz a few times before just giving up and resting his head on Mellie's baby bump. The second that Teddy saw that, however, the toddler pushed Ben's head, causing the little boy to scream.

"Mines momma!" Teddy yelled, watching as Mellie sighed and comforted Ben. Teddy knew that what he did was wrong, but that was his spot. Laying on Mellie's stomach was what he did, and no one else was allowed to do that. Hearing Ben scream, Fitz woke up and groaned as he pulled his daughter into his lap.

"Hi, beautiful. Merry Christmas." He whispered, kissing her cheek as he watched his wife handle their boys. Mellie had always been better at handling the boys, and Fitz had always done best with the girls, so he just let them be. Mellie had it under control.

"Shh, B, it's okay, sweet boy..." She held her youngest son close to her, softly rubbing his back. She looked over at Teddy, seeing the jealousy in his eyes, and she frowned. "Come here, little man." Mellie held out her arm for Teddy, and the toddler immediately found his way into his mother's arms. "You have to be nice to your brother, baby. I know you don't like to share momma, but you have to. You can be as close to me as you want to, as much as you want to, but you can't be mean to your brother because he wants to be near me too. And you especially can't push him, Teddy Bear. How would you feel if he pushed you?"

Teddy frowned and looked down at his feet. "Me be sads." He mumbled, refusing to look at his mother.

"And Benny is sad because you pushed him. Will you please say sorry?"

He nodded and leaned over, kissing Ben's head. "I sorry bubba." Teddy told him, watching as his little brother laid his head against Mellie's side. "He know me sorry?" He asked Mellie, and she nodded. Mellie kissed Teddy's cheek, ruffling his hair.

"Are you three ready to go open presents?" She asked, standing up and picking up her sons. Fitz gave her a look of disapproval, mainly for the fact that she was carrying the boys, but she just brushed it off. She knew that she probably shouldn't be carrying them, but they were light, so they should be fine. Mellie put on a pair of Uggs, and Fitz followed after, going out into the living room with them.

Teddy had already taken his siblings to go see all of the presents under the tree, so they weren't as shocked this time around as they were the first time. But the room was covered in wrapped boxes and fancy bags. The kids still couldn't believe their eyes. They were surprised by how many presents that Santa had left for them. Teddy and Ben both struggled to climb out of Mellie's arms, and she laughed as she set them down. She looked at Fitz, who couldn't help but smile at their children's excitement. They both loved to see their children happy, and Christmas was the perfect time to see them all happy.

Mellie and Fitz separated the presents out into six piles; one for Teddy, one for Ben, one for Bellamy, one for Karen, one for Mellie and one for Fitz. After they had all of the presents separated, they sat down on the sofa and let the kids go at it. Mellie took pictures with her iPhone, and Fitz did the same, unable to stop smiling. He pulled Mellie close to him, and as if they could read each other's minds, their smiles faltered at the exact same time.

"It never gets any easier.." Mellie whispered as she laid her head on her husband's shoulder.

Fitz nodded, kissing his wife's head. "No, you're right. It really doesn't. I try not to think about it and I try not to let it hit me immediately, but it eventually does, and it kills me. And I hate to be upset when I'm supposed to be happy and when the kids are having so much fun, but I can't help it because I miss him, Mels...I miss him so damn much."

Fitz tried his hardest not to cry, but Mellie knew that he was on the verge. She just wrapped her arm around him, holding his body close to hers. She had held in her emotions for so long that it was so easy for her to do, even though all that she wanted to do was break down and cry. She just couldn't do it in front of her children. At this point, she didn't mind crying in front of Fitz. She had done that so much recently, since their son had died. She had done that so much recently that he had given her the nickname "Cry Baby Mellie" before they had worked things out. She cringed at the thought of those days, and quickly tried to push them out of her mind before she got any more upset than she already was.

"I miss him too, Fitz...I love our babies and I love the time that we get to spend with them, and I love that we have them. But they won't even replace Jerry. The time that I spend with them and the love that I have for them will never make up for the love that I lacked for Jerry and for the time that I neglected to spend with him. And that kills me. I know I've said it before but it kills me to think that he died without knowing how much I loved him, without knowing how much he truly meant to me. I understand that I pushed him away because I was afraid that he wasn't yours, that I was afraid of what he might be...But he was always mine, no matter what. He was always my baby, and I shouldn't have pushed him away. I should've loved him no matter what, and I didn't. And that kills me each and every day..."

Fitz nodded, sighing slightly as he listened to her. "Baby..." He frowned when she stopped speaking, and glanced at the kids, who were luckily so caught up in their toys and presents, that they hadn't noticed their upset parents. "You can't change that. I hate to say that. But you can't. And you can't dwell on that. You can't dwell on what you didn't do. But you can make up for that by doing everything you can to be there for these four." He pointed at the kids before resting his hand on her belly. "And I know that I that's not going to make up for you not being there for Jerry, but you can't keep letting that eat at you. You had good reasoning. It isn't your fault. You had every right to distance yourself from him. Don't blame yourself, Mels." Fitz held her, watching as she finally broke down, as she finally buried her face in his neck, and just let it all out. He knew that she was going to blame it on hormones, and that he was going to pretend to believe her.

Bellamy noticed her parents after a few minutes, and she quietly left her half-opened present on the ground and climbed onto the couch, climbing onto her mother's lap. Mellie pulled away from Fitz when he felt a small body on her, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw her baby. The infant reached toward her mother and wiped off her tears before wrapping her arms around Mellie's neck. "Hi princess." Mellie whispered, and the little girl nuzzled her face in her mother's neck. She rubbed her daughter's back, and leaned into Fitz.

"We have some pretty sweet children." Fitz whispered as he kissed behind Mellie's earlobe. Mellie smiled and nodded, holding the little girl in her arms. "They're sweet just like their mother." He continued to kiss down her neck, knowing that that would calm Mellie down. Her breathing slowed and she relaxed into his arms, and eventually, Bella climbed off of Mellie's lap and went back to her presents.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry, Mel?" Fitz questioned as he continued to plant soft kisses on her skin.

Mellie took a deep breath, tilting her head to the side. "Because I'm turning what's supposed to be a good day into a very upsetting situation."

Fitz shook his head slightly, not moving away from his wife. "Mellie, it's okay. It's understandable. I was upset too, baby. I am upset. But it's okay. These holidays are always going to be tough for us but we can get through it. It's okay." He sucked on her skin until he heard a quiet pop. "We just have to make the best out of it."

Mellie nodded as she kept her attention on the children, who's smiles hadn't faltered since they entered the living room. Teddy immediately stopped in his tracks as he opened a box, and turned his head, looking at Mellie. "What this?" He questioned, holding up a shirt. "This no toy. Santa no know me at all." He pouted, and Mellie just laughed, shaking her head.

"Santa knows that you're a growing boy and that you need new clothes. But look at all of the toys that he got you already. And look at how many more presents you have to open. Plus, you have more presents from mommy and daddy to open later. And there's even more at Grandma and Grandpa's."

"When we going to Grandma and Grandpa's?" Teddy asked as he pulled another wrapped box into his lap.

"Tonight. After we eat dinner and open mommy and daddy's presents. We're gonna let you and bubba and sissy play with your toys for a little bit, then you guys can take a nap, then we're gonna eat dinner, open more presents, and then we'll go."

Teddy nodded, content with his mother's response as he went to rip open the paper of another present. Mellie watched him and smiled as she snuggled close to Fitz. He still hadn't removed his lips from her neck, and Mellie just shook her head. "If you keep giving me hickeys, the American people are going to have quite a lot to say."

"Let them talk. At least there won't be any doubts that our marriage is in a good place, then." He moved his hand to her hip, and down until he reached her upper thigh. "Mm, I can't wait until nap time...I'm gonna give you a bonus Christmas present."

"Oh, are you?" Mellie whispered, closing her eyes and smirking.

"Yes, baby. I definitely am." Fitz pulled Mellie onto his lap, slipping his hand into her pajama pants, rubbing her through her panties.

"Mm, oh yes, daddy..." Mellie whispered, and Fitz smirked as he heard what she had called him. He kept rubbing her clit, pressing his thumb down hard. She squirmed under him, pushing her hips up against his hand, trying to keep quiet. After a few seconds, he pulled his hand out of her pants, and watched as Mellie's face dropped, and she pouted.

"The second we put the kids down for a nap. I promise, baby. I'm gonna rock your world." He went back to kissing her neck, and Mellie watched the kids, who were now finished opening presents, and were occupied with playing with their new toys. She had no idea where they were going to put them all, considering the fact that they had tons more presents from their parents, and from Mellie's parents, but she wasn't going to worry about that now. The kids were too happy for her to worry about anything. They still had to open their own presents, but they would wait until later for that. Right now, they would just sit here and enjoy their children's happiness, and each other's company, and make the best out of their Christmas.


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: Here's the second part to our Christmas special! Don't worry, there will be a bit more ;) I'm thinking of doing a flashback chapter, but I don't know exactly what yet, so let me know if you have any suggestions! Keep up the reviewing! You're all the best and I hope that you all had a good Thanksgiving!

"Fitz...I don't want that much from you. You should know that by now. I have everything that I could ever possibly want right here." Mellie looked at her husband, who was sitting on the floor, surrounded by gifts with Mellie's name on them. She couldn't believe how much he spoiled her. He had been spoiling her so much lately, it was like when they had first gotten together again. Fitz always used to shower her with gifts, but that halted when she started to push him away. Luckily, after she got pregnant with the twins, the spoiling started again.

It wasn't that she just loved and wanted the gifts. She did love and appreciate the gifts, and who didn't like to be spoiled? But with the showering of gifts and with the spoiling came her husband's love. One of Fitz's ways of showing love and affection was to spoil. That's why their children always got every little thing that they could ever possibly want, because Fitz believed that with love, comes getting everything that your heart desires.

"Mel, baby. It's Christmas. Let me spoil you today." He handed her one of the many gifts, and she opened it, not paying attention to Fitz's bright eyes that were locked on her. She opened all of her presents, and it wasn't long before she was surrounded by a sea of unwrapped presents and boxes. Amongst the things that Fitz got her were 14 pairs of Victoria's Secret panties, 7 of which had matching bras, plenty of lingerie from Frederick's of Hollywood, a Tiffany necklace with a matching bracelet, a pair of limited edition Chanel pearls, lotion and perfume from Victoria's Secret, and a few pairs of the Pink yoga pants that Mellie loved so much. And still, Fitz had a few more boxes and bags that he was keeping to himself.

Mellie raised an eyebrow and watched him as he crawled over to her, kneeling down on one knee the best that he could in the position that he was in. He had a small box in his hand, and he opened it as he spoke. "Melody Grant, will you do me the pleasure of marrying me again?" He questioned as he took his free hand and ran it through her dark hair. He was nervous, but he wasn't exactly sure why. "I've hurt you way too much in the past, and I want to right that wrong. I want to renew our vows so I can show you how dedicated I am to you, so that I can show you how much I truly love you and how much I really do want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side." He reached for her hand and kissed it as he slipped the new ring onto her finger.

"I...I'm sorry I don't have my wedding ring on." She was going to give him a heartfelt response to his sweet proposal, but she was caught off guard when he took her hand. "It...It doesn't fit. My hands are too swollen."

Fitz chuckled to himself at his wife's perplexed reaction. "Baby, it's okay. Don't panic. That's why I sized this ring bigger, because I knew that your fingers swell up when you're pregnant. I'm not mad that you're not wearing it. I would much rather you not wear it than be uncomfortable and cut off your circulation because it's too tight." He kissed her hand once more, rubbing it softly.

Mellie nodded slowly, still unsure. She felt bad that she couldn't wear her wedding ring when she was pregnant. The only times that ring had been removed from her finger was throughout all of her pregnancies. Not once did she remove it unless she was pregnant. Even throughout all of her and Fitz's fights and arguments and threats of divorce, she refused to take her ring off. Taking your ring off for any reason other than physically having to is a sign of disrespect, and a sign of giving up. And she refused to give up.

There was one other time when she had taken it off, but she tried to brush it off; she didn't want to think about it. In the process of trying to push Big Jerry off of her that night, something had happened, she couldn't exactly remember what. But she had hurt her hand, and when she went to the hospital about it, the doctors were forced to cut her ring off. Fitz was furious, not at her, but at the fact that they couldn't figure out another way to fix it, to get it off of her, without cutting the expensive band. He had it fixed for her immediately, and once the swelling in her broken hand had gone down about a week later, she put it back on, and hadn't taken it off until she was pregnant with Jerry. Even when she was pregnant with Jerry, she waited until she absolutely couldn't stand the pain anymore, then she took off her ring.

"Of course I'll marry you again, Fitzgerald." Mellie told her husband, once she had finally come out of her slump and realized that it wasn't her fault that her ring wouldn't fit on her finger. At least Fitz had gotten her a bigger "engagement ring", as he called it, so that her finger wouldn't feel so empty. Fitz grinned, and it reminded her of the grin that he had on his face when he found out that she was pregnant with their first child. She hadn't even really told him, he just knew. He climbed into her arms, and she hugged him tight. "I love you, Fitz."

"I love you too, Mel." He kissed her head. "You still have a few more presents, you know." Fitz said as he pulled away from her, getting back down on the floor. Mellie rolled her eyes, but the eye roll was accompanied by a smile, so he knew that she wasn't mad.

He gave her the rest of her presents, which included a few more comfortable outfits, an iPhone 6 Plus, a case for her new phone, and a diamond ankle bracelet that she had been eyeing for the last 3 months. Even after she finished opening all of that, there was still one more large box, and Mellie raised an eyebrow, knowing that wasn't one of the gifts that she had gotten Fitz. "And this..." Fitz picked up the box and looked at Mellie. "This isn't yours, but I want you to open it."

"If it's not mine, then whose it is?" Mellie was confused. "I don't want to open someone else's present."

Fitz shook his head as he handed her the box. "It's for the baby." Mellie nodded, understanding as she unwrapped the gift and slowly began taking its contents out. In it was plenty of different outfits, a handmade quilt, and a stuffed Mickey Mouse. "The quilt...it's from Big Jerry. You don't have to keep it if you don't want to, but I just wanted to give you the option. My mom made it years ago, but he just gave it to me...He said that it had been misplaced before Jerry was born, and he found it while we were on the trail. He wanted to give it to us when Teddy was born, and then again when the twins were born, but for obvious reasons, he couldn't."

Mellie held up the blanket, looking at it before looking at Fitz. "We'll keep it. It was nice of him to give it to us after all of these years. And your mom made it."

"But I don't know if we should give it to the baby...I mean, it was supposed to be Jerry's." Fitz looked at Mellie, who's nod made him know that she understood what he meant. "I feel like we should just put it up and keep it safe. But I also feel like there's no use to that, and at least of the baby can use it and love it, then it has a purpose."

Mellie nodded. "I think we should give it to the baby. I think we have enough things of Jerry's that we just put up and away to keep safe. We should keep the blanket for the baby." She folded the blanket and put it back in the box. "I think it's what your mother would want us to do."

"You're right." He sat back down on the couch next to Mellie, pulling her close to him. They watched the fire roaring in the fireplace, and Fitz couldn't help but smile. He was beyond happy with where he was in his life. Of course, he missed his boy, but that was life. No, it wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. And he hated himself for being the reason that his son was dead. But then again, that was the price of free and fair elections.


	46. Chapter 46

A/N: Y'all know the drill; reviews and suggestions, please. ;)

They had just landed in North Carolina, and Mellie was struggling to gather the children and their bags. Fitz was trying to help, but all three of their children were in the mood to be as clingy as possible, and fight over Mellie's leg. Mellie sighed to herself, running out of patience as Bellamy smacked Teddy. She growled, but before she had a chance to reprimand her child, Fitz stepped in. "Bellamy Danielle." He pulled his daughter into his arms and took a few of the bags out of Mellie's arms. "You don't hit your brother. That's not nice."

He helped Mellie put their bags in the car, and he helped the children get in. Fitz got Bellamy and Ben to calm down, but Teddy was still clinging to Mellie, sitting on her lap with one of his arms around her neck, and the other toying with her pearl necklace. Mellie rubbed her oldest son's back, letting out a sigh as she looked out the window and thought. She wasn't sure why she was in such a bad, stressful mood. It might have something to do with Jerry. But she wasn't sure why it would have to do with that, considering the fact that her and Fitz had stopped thinking about that hours ago. She knew that it had everything to do with the pregnancy, but she knew that there had to be something else bothering her. She just couldn't figure out what it was.

Mellie was brought out of her daze when she noticed Teddy on his knees and the floor of the car, his head hovering over her belly. He leaned in and kissed her stomach, gently rubbing it. "Merry Christmas, baby." Teddy whispered, laying his head against Mellie's baby bump and closing his eyes. Mellie smiled to herself and reached down, rubbing her son's back. He was such a sweetheart. Teddy reminded her of Fitz so much that it wasn't even funny. He was the absolute spitting image of Fitz; he acted like and looked so much like his father.

The baby kicked against Teddy's head, and the toddler jumped, looking confused as he brought his gaze to Mellie. Mellie laughed slightly, the first time that she had even smiled since her and Fitz had exchanged gifts with one another earlier that morning. "It's okay, sweet pea. The baby's just kicking."

"Why it kickin'? It no like me?" Teddy asked, frowning as he looked at his mother. He looked like he was about to cry, so Mellie pulled her son off of the floor and into her arms.

She shook her head, kissing the top of Teddy's head. "Shh. No, it has nothing to do with the baby not liking you. It just kicks when it wants to play. Since it's stuck by itself in mommy's belly, it has nothing else to do for fun so it kicks and punches."

Teddy frowned, looking up at Mellie as his hands shot back up to her neck, playing with her necklace as if it was a ritual that he had to go through with every time that he was on his mother's lap. "It hurt you? Baby no supposed to hit and kick momma..." He was upset, not wanting his little brother or sister kicking his mommy. It wasn't nice to hit mommy.

"No, honey." Mellie kissed the top of Teddy's head. That little boy was seriously the sweetest. "The baby doesn't hurt mommy. It just does it to me to let me know that it's alive and healthy."

"Oh. Okays." Teddy nodded and laid his head on Mellie's chest, closing his eyes. He fell asleep and Mellie looked out the window again, spacing out until the car pulled into her parents' driveway.

They made their way inside and Mellie talked to her parents for a few minutes before excusing herself to go upstairs. She wasn't feeling well, and she was exhausted, so she just wanted to go to sleep. She apologized to her parents and to Fitz, and told the kids that they could go ahead and open their presents without her. Since they were kids, they agreed, but Fitz was reluctant to let them, knowing that Mellie would have liked to see them opening their presents from their grandparents. But, she insisted on letting them open them tonight, so Fitz allowed them too.

Mellie stripped out of her clothes, sighing slightly as she stepped into the shower. She was reluctant to take one, considering how tired she was, but she knew that she needed one. This was the quickest shower that she had ever taken, just washing her hair and washing her body, wasting no time in thinking or in taking breaks between shampooing and conditioning. She was just ready for bed. Between being pregnant and only having slept about two hours the night before, she had reached the end of her rope, and had to fight to keep her eyes open and keep from falling asleep in the shower.

It had been a tough day. Between it being Christmas and stressful enough in itself, it was a day that was really tough to enjoy because her son was dead. Her son was dead and there would never be another Christmas that she would be able to spend with him. And that ate at her. But that was just a part of her bad mood. She had also had to get up extremely early that morning, and she was pregnant, which intensified everything else. But the worst part was that she didn't get laid earlier. Fitz had teased her and had whispered extremely dirty things in her ear in the midst of it. But by the time they were done opening each other presents and were headed upstairs to engage in giving some more gifts to one another, Ben and Bellamy were awake, which ruined their chances. Mellie sighed to herself as the hot stream of water ran down her body, and she dragged herself out of the shower, drying off and walking back to her bedroom wrapped only in her towel.

Fitz came up to bed after putting the kids to sleep, and he stripped down to only his boxers before climbing into bed with Mellie. He wrapped his arm around her, confused when his hand touched something that he hadn't expected to touch. Fitz jumped slightly, but then put his arm back around her. She was naked. He definitely hadn't expected her to be naked when he had gotten into bed. He had noticed that her hair was wet and he knew that she had taken a shower, but he figured that she would have gotten dressed after her shower. At the least, he figured she would have put on a tank top and panties. Not that he minded, he just hadn't expected that.

He rubbed his wife's back, gently kissing her shoulder before lying down and closing his eyes. He knew that she had had a tough day, and he would do anything to help her and to take the pain away from her. He wanted so badly to be able to do that. And it killed him that he couldn't. He hated seeing her so vulnerable, so broken. Even when she tried to hide it, it was obvious that she was fighting tears, that she was breaking internally. Fitz took a deep breath and held his wife as he fell asleep.

In the morning when Fitz woke up, she was gone. He got up and got dressed, finding his way downstairs, looking everywhere for her. He found her outside on the back porch standing next to her father, a shotgun rested on her shoulder. Fitz watched from a distance for a few minutes as they shot at targets, glancing down at his phone to respond to a few texts. He was distracted for a while, but was pulled out of his trance when he heard the commotion in front of him. Mellie's mouth was dropped and her father was panicking, but over what, Fitz couldn't tell. It took him a few seconds to realize that Mellie's jeans were soaking wet.

He rushed to her side and between him and Mellie's father, the two of them got her to the car and took her to the hospital. Mellie's dad informed Mellie's mom of where they were going, and she agreed to watch the kids. All along the ride, Fitz tried his hardest to keep Mellie calm, as she freaked out about how it was too early and about how she the baby wouldn't make it. He didn't have high hopes either, but he had to be strong. He had to be strong for his wife.


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! So I think what I'm going to do is do 3 more chapters, so there's a total of 50. THEN, if I get enough reviews and enough people want it, I want to do a sequel of Mellie and Fitz's life when they leave the White House. So, review and tell me what you think. **

It's a girl. After 19 hours of labor, Mellie gave birth to a baby girl. After hours of screaming and crying and Fitz rubbing her back and calling her champ, their daughter came into the world. Danika Paige Grant was welcomed into the world late in the night, at 33 weeks. Luckily, she was a bit bigger for her gestational age, but still not the weight that Mellie had hoped she would be when she gave birth to her. Immediately, the doctors rushed their daughter away, without letting Mellie or Fitz hold her. Mellie was upset, but she tried to hide it.

She laid back, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes. If she wasn't exhausted before, she definitely was now. And she couldn't take it. She had been dying of sleep deprivation and she honestly didn't think that she could keep her eyes open for one more minute. Even though she was beyond worried about her daughter, even though she wanted almost nothing more than to hold her and obsess over her with Fitz, she couldn't help but choose sleep over worrying. The second that she allowed her eyes to close, she was out.

When Mellie woke up, a doctor was telling her about the respiratory problems that Danika had, and that she would have to remain in the NICU for a while. She tried to keep a strong face as she nodded and thanked the doctor, who did a quick exam on her and checked her vitals. Fitz could tell that she wasn't okay, but he just let her be.

Danika stayed in the NICU for a few weeks, and as much as Fitz hated to, he had to leave Mellie and go back to DC. He didn't have a choice but to run the country, even if he child was fighting for her life at a hospital in North Carolina. He visited his wife and children every weekend, sometimes a few days during the week as well, and when their daughter was a little over three months old, they were finally allowed to take her home.

Fitz walked into Danika's room when he got done working for the day, smiling when he saw his wife standing in front of her crib, watching their little girl sleep. Mellie had a smile on her face, and Fitz knew that that smile had been on her face since she laid eyes on their daughter. He let her stare and silently obsess for a few minutes before he informed his wife of his presence. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Fitz asked, and Mellie turned around, her smile still not faltering.

"She is...God, Fitz, she's so beautiful.." Mellie whispered, smiling as she glanced back at her child. Every time that she looked at her was like when she saw her for the first time, when she had first laid eyes on her youngest child. It had been over three months since their beautiful baby was born and she couldn't stop talking and thinking about how perfect she was and how much she absolutely loved her. She just couldn't get over it.

Fitz couldn't help but mirror the smile that was on his wife's face. He walked toward her, hovering over Danika and looking down at her sleeping body. "She is, isn't she? Just like her mother. Only I think her mother has her beat." He wrapped his arms around Mellie, kissing her cheek. "You did good, you know? I know I haven't had a chance to tell you. But you did great. Really great. Throughout the entire pregnancy, throughout the birth, throughout the three months that you had to sit there, for the most part, by yourself, and worry about whether your baby was going to make it another day. Mel, I am so proud of you. You did great."

Mellie hadn't really thought about it. She had been so focused on keeping her daughter alive and healthy while taking care of three other children, that she hadn't really had time to think of how tough and how strong she had been over the past year. To her, it didn't seem like much. It seemed like normal Mellie. But apparently it seemed like a lot to Fitz. "Thank you." She whispered, looking down at Danika as she made a small noise and made a fist with her right hand. The baby stirred a bit, but stayed asleep, allowing Mellie and Fitz to continue their conversation.

"Can you believe we have less than a year in this house?" He asked, glancing at his child and then back at his wife. "Because I can't...I really can't. It doesn't feel like we've been living here for over seven years. But then again, it doesn't feel like we've had Teddy for four..."

Mellie's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Oh God. Do not remind me of how old Teddy is or I might cry...I don't want my baby boy growing up any time soon...He's not four. He's still one and he's still breastfeeding and he still can't form coherent words, and he still sleeps on my chest. That's how I see him."

"Well, if it helps, he does still sleep on your chest...He didn't only do that when he was one." Fitz told her, trying to lighten the mood. It was hard to believe that Teddy was four. It was hard to believe that four years ago, he was still screwing Olivia Pope, promising her a relationship and a family, and hating Mellie with all of his heart. He couldn't believe that so much could change in four years. Well, technically three years, but he still couldn't believe that so much could change so quickly. It was just hard to wrap his head around.

"This is true." Mellie laughed. "And speaking of the devil..." She looked over at the door, smiling when Teddy ran in, holding his arms up toward Mellie. Mellie picked him up, and Teddy waved at Danika, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hi sissy!" Teddy whispered. He had learned that he needed to be quiet around the baby, especially when she was sleeping. With having dealt with three new younger siblings in the last two years, he knew that he needed to be quiet. He learned a lot from having been around three babies so early on in his life.

Mellie smiled and kissed her son's head, rubbing his back as they watched Danika sleep. She carried the toddler out of the nursery and Fitz shut the door behind them. They took Teddy and went to play with him and the twins, neither of them able to stop thinking about not only how much their lives have changed in the past few years, but also how much they were going to change within the next year, when they had to leave the White House and try to go back to being "normal" people.


	48. Chapter 48

"Mommaaaa! Me needs help." Teddy ran into Mellie's room, where she was sitting on the floor nursing Danika. Mellie glanced up at her son, smiling when he walked into the room.

"Hi baby. What do you need help with?" She asked, holding out her free arm. Teddy ran toward her and hugged her, careful not to touch Danika while she was eating.

Teddy laid his head on Mellie's shoulder, yawning and closing his eyes. "Mes need help packin'." He mumbled, his southern accent poking through. Teddy had gained a slight bit of southern drawl when he spoke, due to hearing Mellie's parents speak when they were in North Carolina. Mellie tended to regain hers, the one that she had beaten out of her on the road to the White House, when she was in North Carolina. And since Teddy liked imitating his mother, he had started to speak with a southern accent as well.

"Okay, honey. Let me finish feeding Dani and then I'll go help you pack, okay?" She ruffled her son's hair, kissing the top of his head before finishing up with Dani. The little girl fell asleep in her arms and Mellie fixed her shirt before standing up and picking up Teddy. She carried Danika to her room and laid her down in her crib, carrying Teddy back to his room. His room was a mess. Toys were strung out everywhere, all of his clothes were pulled out of his dresser. There was stuff everywhere.

Mellie set Teddy down on the ground, laughing to herself as she dropped to her knees and started to pick things up. "Teddy Bear, your room is a mess." She had told him to wait to start packing, but as always, Teddy had wanted to impress Mellie, and had started on his own. He didn't want to admit defeat, he didn't want to admit that he needed help, but he knew that if Mellie or Fitz had walked in and seen the mess that he had made, he would get yelled at. So, he figured that he would get Mellie's help.

She helped pack Teddy's things into boxes while Teddy slowly helped her. He wasn't that much of a help, and truthfully, he was making things a little more difficult than they needed to be, but Mellie really appreciated his help. It was better to have a child that wanted to help you and wanted to make things easier on you than a child who was destructive and had no intentions of helping clean up his mess. Besides, she really enjoyed having Teddy around. It kept things from getting profoundly boring and from her being absolutely bored out of her mind.

"Momma, me do good?" Teddy asked as he balled up one of his t-shirts and threw it into a box. Mellie chuckled to herself, and nodded as she pulled her son into her lap, kissing his cheek. She tickled Teddy's stomach, and the little boy giggled, trying to squirm away from his mother. But Mellie kept a hold on him and wouldn't let him go no matter what. After a few seconds and what she deemed was enough torture for the four year old, she let him go. Instead of walking away like Mellie had expected him to, Teddy jumped back into Mellie's lap and pushed her down, starting to tickle her as revenge.

Mellie laughed, pretending to fight Teddy and try to push him off of her. Of course, she was just pretending and she didn't actually need to try to get him off of her, but he was enjoying it. He was having fun. So Mellie was going to let him have his fun. It was rare that Teddy got to spend time with his mother alone, so Mellie was going to let him have his time with her. It was only fair.

Fitz walked into Teddy's room, smiling when he saw Mellie and Teddy playing on the floor. However, his smile faltered when he saw that Teddy's room was almost all completely packed up. It was a bittersweet feeling. He wasn't sure how he felt about leaving the White House. Of course, it had been a long 8 years. It had been an 8 year long roller coaster of ups and downs, in his marriage, in his life, in his political career. He had had a great relationship with Olivia Pope while he was here, but that wasn't realistic. He had lost his son while he was here. But he had had four more children while he was here, four children that he loved with all of his heart. He loved his babies to his detriment. He had also repaired him and Mellie's marriage while he was here. But he had faced an assassination attempt and almost died. Being in the White House was bittersweet, and so was leaving.

"Are you two having fun?" Fitz asked as he picked up Teddy, who giggled and kissed his father's cheek. Mellie nodded as she sat up, smiling and watching her husband and her son. She stood up and kissed Fitz's cheek, wrapping her arms around her husband. "One more week." Fitz whispered.

"One more week..." Mellie repeated, frowning slightly as she looked at Teddy. The little boy sensed his mother's sadness and leaned over, kissing her cheek and running his hand through her hair. Mellie just smiled.

Fitz looked over at her and kissed his wife's head. "I have the twins' room packed. Dani's room and our room are the only ones that haven't been touched yet."

Mellie looked down at her feet and sighed. "Not the only ones..."

"Yeah...I know. I just didn't want to say it."

Packing up Jerry's room was most likely going to be the absolute hardest thing that either of them ever had to do. It was hard enough to pack up Karen's room and she was just in California avoiding them. Jerry, on the other hand, that was different.

"I don't want to do it, Fitz..." Mellie whispered as she laid her head against her husband's shoulder. "Fitz, I can't do it...I can't pack up our dead son's room. I can't go through all of his things and put them into boxes and act like he's still here, like everything's okay. I can't do it."

Fitz held Mellie close, as best as he could with Teddy still in his arms. "Then we won't do it. We'll have someone else do it for us. We'll let them pack it up and then we'll figure out what to do from there."

She shook her head. "No...We have to do it. There's no avoiding it. We have to do it. We can't pawn it off on someone else. He's our son and that's his room...We have to pack up his room."

"I know." He sighed to himself. "We'll just put it off as long as we can, okay?"

Mellie nodded, closing her eyes, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. "Sounds like a plan."

That was going to be hell. That was something that they had both thought of, but refused to bring up to the other. Now it was something that was unavoidable and that they had to do, and it killed Mellie to have to come to terms with the fact that it was inevitable that they would have to pack up their dead son's room within the next week. As if this next week wasn't already going to be difficult, that would just be the icing on the cake.


	49. Chapter 49

**_A/N: I'm super sorry that it's been months since I updated! I'm gonna try to get the final chapter up tonight and then start the sequel either tonight or tomorrow. :) Pretty short chapter but I felt it needed to be done. Looking forward to some reviews!_**

It wasn't easy, but Mellie and Fitz had managed to pack up half of Jerry's room. It took a long time and quite a few floods of tears, but they were halfway done. It was heartbreaking and extremely painful, but at least it was something that they would never have to do again. They weren't exactly sure what they planned on doing with his things; it wasn't like they were going to take them out of the boxes and set them back up in a new room in their new house, but they had to take things one step at a time. And the first step was just simply packing everything up.

There was a variety of things left in the room. Some of it was personal, some not. Anything really personal that Jerry had was already packed away, and had been sent from his boarding school over two years ago. But there was still some personal things that he hadn't taken to boarding school, that he had left in his room at the White House. Anything from his room at their old house that he hadn't wanted to take with him was in there.

Mellie was working in the closet, and when Fitz heard her gasp, he immediately got off of the floor and hurried to where his wife was. "Mels? What is it?" He questioned, unsure of the nature of her gasp. When he got in the closet, he saw a huge stuffed elephant with a gift tag tied to its ear. "He had gotten Teddy a Christmas present..."

"To my favorite little brother...You can't read this because you don't know how to read yet (I'll teach you one day!) so mommy can read it for you. I love you and got this present super early for you because I knew you would love it. Love you buddy. Love, your big brother, Jerry". Mellie read the card, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. "Do you want to go get Teddy? I think he would really love to see it."

Fitz nodded and kissed Mellie's head before leaving the room and looking for his son. He was proud of his wife for being so strong and for being able to do this. He knew that she had really dreaded it and that she had been putting it off until the absolute last minute, but he was really proud that she was finally doing it and that she was keeping it together. Of course, he wouldn't blame her if she fell apart, especially considering he had to try his hardest not to, but he was glad that she was doing better.

Fitz found Teddy watching a movie in him and Mellie's room. "Hey, little man...Come with daddy real quick. Me and mommy want to show you something." Teddy paused the movie that he was watching and jumped off of the bed, running over to Fitz. He took his father's hand and Fitz led him to Jerry's room. Mellie had moved the elephant onto Jerry's bed and Teddy's eyes lit up when he saw the large stuffed animal.

"For me?" He questioned, looking at both of his parents, from Fitz to Mellie, and back to Fitz again.

Mellie nodded, running her hand through Teddy's dark hair. "Yes, it is. It was from Jerry."

"Jerry got me a elephant?" Teddy asked, confused about how his brother could possibly have gotten him an elephant. Jerry was in Heaven. He couldn't give Teddy presents from Heaven.

Mellie picked up her son and set him on the bed, sitting next to him. "Yes, buddy. He did. He got it for you right before he died..." Mellie frowned, not wanting to say those words. She hated saying that Jerry died, that he was dead, even though she knew it. It was easy to pretend that it wasn't real, that he was just at boarding school, if she didn't actually say it. Years later and it still wasn't any easier. "It was supposed to be your Christmas present that year but me and daddy just found it."

Teddy nodded and looked at the elephant, climbing over to it and wrapping his arms around it. He hugged it right before letting go and putting his hands together, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Jerry." Teddy whispered, opening his eyes after he spoke. He looked up and blew a kiss up into the air. "I love you."

Right then, Mellie's heart broke into a million pieces. She didn't even attempt to fight the tears now; there was no way that she could. What Teddy had just done was so adorable that she just couldn't handle it. She immediately pulled her little boy into her arms and kissed his head. "Teddy Bear, you are truly the most amazing child ever...I love you so much."

"I love you too." Teddy smiled and looked up at his mother, his smile faltering when he saw her tears. He wiped them from her eyes and leaned in to her, kissing her nose. "It's okay momma. He's watchin' over us now." The little boy snuggled into his mother, yawning as he tried to get comfortable.

"He is, isn't he?" Mellie truly couldn't believe how smart her son was. The knowledge that her little boy had amazed her each and every day. "Are you tired, Teddy Bear?" She asked, ruffling Teddy's hair. He just nodded, and she started to pick him up. "Well let's go put you down for your nap then."

Teddy shook his head, letting out a long whine. "Me stay in here?"

Even if Mellie wanted to, she wouldn't be able to say no to that. "You can but me and daddy are still going to be packing."

"It's okay. You try to be quiet?"

Mellie chuckled and nodded. "Yes, honey. We will try to be quiet." She leaned down and kissed the top of Teddy's head, draping the blanket over him after he laid down and began to cuddle with his elephant. "Sweet dreams, baby."

Teddy closed his eyes, smiling when he heard his mother's voice. "Tanks momma. I love you." He blew her a kiss and opened his eyes for a second to look at Fitz. "Love you, daddy."

"We love you too, buddy." Fitz kissed his son's head and watched him fall into a quick slumber. When he was asleep, Mellie and Fitz immediately got back to packing up Jerry's things.

"I miss him so much..." Mellie mumbled, frowning as she packed the last few things of Jerry's into a box. Teddy had been asleep for a little over an hour, and not wanting to wake their son was Mellie and Fitz's motivation for getting things packed quicker and with less distractions.

Fitz nodded and took his wife's hand. "I know honey. I do too." He didn't know what else to say. There was nothing that he could say to numb the pain, to make things any easier on her. He had been trying for years. It was easier to give up an accept defeat than to keep trying to find ways when he knew it was hopeless. "But at least we've got this done...And we never have to do this again."

Mellie nodded. "I know. I just feel terrible...I feel like we just packed our son into boxes, like he's nothing anymore."

"Don't feel that way, Mels..." Fitz wrapped his arm around Mellie's back, gently rubbing her lower back. "It's not like that. Don't think like that."

She nodded and looked at Teddy. "Think we can take a nap?"

"In here?" Mellie didn't say anything, but Fitz knew her response. "I don't see why not."

The two of them climbed into their oldest son's bed, one of them on each side of Teddy, and laid down, cuddling with their little boy. For a second, everything seemed so simple. Everything seemed okay. And it was truly the best feeling that Mellie or Fitz had experienced in a very long time.


	50. Chapter 50

_**A/N: Final chapter! Please review, and let me know what you think, and also what you would like to see in the sequel! I know I haven't kept up with updating consistently, so please feel free to bug me via reviews, or via Twitter ( _Marissahhh)**_.

Mellie woke up early in the morning, before the sun had even begun to creep into the room through the slightly-opened curtains. She looked around the room, frowning as she remembered that today was their last day in the White House. In about twelve hours, they would be walking out of the doors for the last time, leaving behind nearly every aspect of the last eight years of their life. In a way, that would be great. There were many things that happened in this house that she wished hadn't. There were many things that had happened while Fitz was president that she would do pretty much anything to go back and change. On the other hand, there were also many things that she was grateful had happened while they lived in this house; Fitz had ended his relationship with Olivia Pope, they had welcomed four children into their lives, and Fitz had beaten the hell out of Big Jerry. But they had also lost their son. Fitz had tried very hard to divorce her. They had had countless arguments and he had said plenty of hurtful things that he couldn't ever take back. It was funny, even in the heat of an argument, Mellie was always careful to choose her words wisely; she couldn't dare say anything that would hurt Fitz. She wasn't looking out for him when she refused to say anything truly hurtful to her husband, but she was looking out for herself. She loved him so much, she couldn't possibly hurt him, regardless of how much he hurt her.

She wasn't exactly sure of whether she was looking forward to leaving, or whether she was dreading it. There was always that possibility that they would be back; she did still have her aspiration to become president herself, even after seeing Fitz struggle with it for the past eight years. She would never admit it, but politically, she had begun to see herself as stronger than Fitz. When Olivia Pope was involved, Fitz would crumble politically, and seem to realize that anything but her existed. Of course, that was years ago, and he hadn't done that recently. But he was still capable of it, and she still found herself stronger than him in that aspect. She believed that she could indefinitely succeed as president, and she wanted to at least attempt it.

"Mel?" The sudden voice in the room shocked Mellie, and she jumped slightly when she heard it. She hadn't realized that her husband was awake. "I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to shock you." He sat up slightly, leaning over and kissing his wife's temple. "What are you doing up so early?" Fitz questioned, turning his body slightly so that he was facing her.

She shrugged slightly, unsure of exactly how to answer his question. Why was she awake? She couldn't exactly put her finger on it. There were plenty of reasons running through her head, but she wasn't sure of which one it really was. "Just thinking." She decided to use thinking as her answer, since that was mainly what she was doing. She was thinking about leaving, she was thinking about coming back. She was thinking about Jerry, she was thinking about Olivia Pope. She was thinking about whether or not she wanted to live in DC for the rest of her life, and she was thinking about how she really didn't have a choice.

Fitz yawned, giving his eyes a few seconds to adjust to being open before becoming all-ears for his wife. "Thinking about what?"

"Oh, just about everything under the sun." She let out a small chuckle, shaking her head. "I don't think it really hit me until now that we're leaving today…We've spent the last eight years of our lives here and it just seems like yesterday we were walking in here for the first time…It really doesn't seem like it's been eight years." Mellie sighed quietly. "So much has happened since we've been here, and it's just weird imagining that tomorrow morning, we won't be waking up in this bed. We won't be walking down the halls to go check on the kids, we won't have to check ourselves in the mirror to make sure we're presentable before we leave our bedroom. I've just gotten so used to this in the past eight years, that doing anything different will be strange to me. It won't feel real. This feels real, this feels right. I don't want to leave."

Fitz wrapped his arm around Mellie, pulling her body closer to him. "We knew when we moved in here eight years ago that this wasn't going to last forever. We knew that we were going to have to leave at some point, sweetheart."

"I know." Mellie wiped a tear that had somehow escaped from her eye. "I just didn't know it would come so soon."

"Oh, Mel…" Fitz shook his head slightly, kissing the top of her head. "If you're serious about running for president, about running this country the way that I struggled to over the last eight years, then I'll make damn sure that you're back in this house in four years. I'll make sure that you win the next election and I'll make sure that it's your ass sitting in that big chair in the Oval in four years from now. I promise you that. We won't be gone for long. Just think of it as a long vacation. In four years from now, the Grants will take over this house again for at least four more years."

Mellie smiled as she listened to her husband. He never failed to make her smile, to make her feel better. "I am serious, Fitz."

"Then we better start planning pretty damn soon." He placed his hands on her cheeks, turning her head to him so that he could kiss her. "And we better make sure that we leave this room with a bang." Fitz's hands ran down her body, stopping when he reached her ass. "If you know what I mean…"

"Oh, I think I know what you mean, Mr. President." Mellie smirked, crawling on top of her husband, ready to be intimate with him in this bed for the last time. Or, at least the last time for the next four years.

* * *

><p>"Do you three have everything? Anything you leave here, we can't get back. So make sure you've got your blankies and stuffed animals, okay?" Fitz ruffled his youngest son's hair, smiling as Ben giggled and nodded. The three children told Fitz that they had everything, and he walked over to Mellie, who had their thirteen-month-old daughter on her lap. "Do you have everything, Mel? We all know you're the most forgetful person in this family." He teased, running his hand up and down her back.<p>

"I do. I double and triple-checked." She stood up from where she was sitting, making sure that she had a good grip on Danika. "Are we ready?" Mellie questioned, looking at her children and her husband. They all nodded, and they found their way out onto the White House lawn, where they took family photos for the press. After all of the pictures were taken, and Fitz and Mellie had spoken to a few reporters, they headed to the garage, where they all piled into a car and headed to their new home. The kids hadn't seen it yet, only Mellie and Fitz had. They had had all of their things moved over to the new house and the rooms were decorated already so that the house was ready to live in.

As they drove, Mellie looked out the window, watching as they drove past the place that she had called home for the past eight years. It was as if everything was in slow-motion. She rolled down the window, something that she hadn't been able to do since Fitz had become president, and stared at the house. She took in the beauty, the scent, and everything about the place that she had called "home" for the past eight years. And as she intently gazed, she came to a conclusion that she had been trying to come to all day; despite all of the terribly horrible things that she had gone through, that their family had gone through, she wouldn't trade the last eight years for anything in the world.


End file.
